GPS foils appliance thieves’ getaway

Thieves casing a housing construction site in Lathrop, Calif., must have thought that all those new appliances and cabinetry sitting inside unoccupied homes were easy pickins.

Little did these quasi-crafty crooks know that they would be easy pickins themselves.

You see, the appliances were rigged with global positioning system technology that led San Joaquin County sheriff’s investigators right to the stolen loot and the suspected thieves.

Authorities arrested six suspects a sheriff’s spokesman said.

The stolen property included new refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, air conditioners and heaters along with kitchen cabinets and other items valued at more than $30,000, said deputy Dave Konecny.

Officials from KB Homes, one of the largest homebuilders in the country, called San Joaquin County sheriff’s deputies Monday morning about several kitchen appliances stolen overnight from six unsold homes in Lathrop.

KB Homes officials told the deputies the appliances contained GPS tracking devices.

“Job site theft is an industry-wide issue,” said KB Homes in a statement. Working with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, we recently implemented new security measures at several of our construction sites, including placing GPS tracking devices on our materials.”

All six people were arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property.