Theft victims look for items

Kristine Whelchel had her life packed away in that moving truck.

Everything she owned, from her dining room set to her cherished family photos, was loaded in that truck when she parked it outside a hotel on her way through Las Vegas. By morning, it was gone.

The January 2006 theft of Whelchel's moving truck was one of the earliest in a crime spree that saw more than 30 moving trucks stolen from area hotels, Las Vegas police said.

Like many of the victims, Whelchel had abandoned hope of ever seeing her prized personal possessions again. But a bust in February led to nine storage sheds holding boxes upon boxes of stolen property linked to the moving-truck heists and as many as 40 other thefts.

Las Vegas police contacted victims from about 70 cases in the past 18 months and invited them to Friday's property viewing at a Cashman Center convention hall. About the size of a football field, the convention hall was just large enough to hold the thousands of items that detectives found stashed in storage sheds rented by Robert Farabee and Theresa Ann Crow. Both have been charged in the heists.

Whelchel, 28, was moving from North Bend, Ore., to Sierra Vista, Ariz., when she stopped at the Holiday Inn Express off Russell Road and Interstate 15. When Whelchel and her mother walked out one morning, they found broken glass and nothing else where they had parked the 17-foot moving truck and trailer with her car.

All they had left were their purses and Baby, the cat.

Whelchel still got to Sierra Vista and started replacing her lost belongings. But the family photos and sentimental mementos in the truck couldn't be replaced, and she eventually gave up hope they would ever be found.

More than a year after the theft, Whelchel heard of the bust and came to Las Vegas with rekindled hope of finding those missing treasures.

"I'm definitely hopeful, but I don't want to get overly excited," Whelchel said before heading in. "There could be nothing in there."

When her name came up, Whelchel walked inside the convention hall with her mom, met a detective, pulled on a pair of latex gloves and headed toward the rows of boxes and property running from one side of the convention hall to the other.

Police organized the property viewing, which continues today, because they had so many items and so many victims. Detectives believe Farabee and Crow were responsible for stealing at least 30 moving trucks in the past year and could be connected to another 40 thefts. Police arrested the duo in February after they stole a moving truck less than two hours after police planted it in the Excalibur parking lot.

That arrest led to nine storage sheds and the stolen goods. Most of the high-dollar items -- such as televisions, electronics and power tools -- were gone. Left behind were boxes of clothes, toys and other stuff with a lot of sentimental but little monetary value.

One box held a mother's scrapbook to remember her son's youth football days. "Made the playoffs. Tried your best baby," she wrote.

In another box, a shoebox cradled dozens of yellowed letters from Sandra Dumas' father to her mother after he lied about his age to join the U.S. Army Air Force in 1945. "Dear Ellen," the letters would begin before detailing his days and professing his love for his bride-to-be.

"With oceans of love and a kiss on every wave," Wes Harrington signed off in one letter.

"This is incredible," Dumas said, gazing at the stack of envelopes.

Another success story belonged to the Glenn family of Lakewood, Colo. Their moving truck disappeared in February from the Courtyard by Marriott near Russell Road and I-15 during a stopover between California and Colorado.

"I walked out and thought I walked out the wrong door," Joyce Glenn said.

The Glenns came in Friday with low expectations but left with 80 percent of their belongings. Among them was 9-year-old Tyler Glenn's toy car collection. They haven't found their cat, Espn, who was in the truck.

Glenn said they wouldn't hold it against Las Vegas.

"We're definitely coming back, we just won't bring a U-Haul," she said.

Meanwhile, Whelchel ended her hour-long tour through the property empty handed.

"It's hard," Whelchel said. "But I'll go have a cocktail and maybe have a little luck at the casino."

She flashed a smile, but it couldn't hide the tears of disappointment welling in her eyes as she walked out the door.