05/28/2006
Just Another Day for Carter
One of my side jobs is taking care of several photo-booths located in various malls around Northwest Arkansas. Since the beginning of the year we have been having trouble with what at first I thought was somebody at the bank pocketing money out of my deposits. Since I frequently walk in with fifteen to twenty-two hundred dollars in singles time is not always there for me to count all these single dollar bills. I bit the bullet in February and purchased a decent automatic bill counter and started counting it before the deposits, but discovered that the money was just not there. I thought possibly the computers inside the booths were loosing it but I verified the counts by auditing the number of photo's and sheets of paper used. I was rather stumped until one day when I was attempting to clean the glass from behind one of the monitors. As I removed the monitor the glass that the customer sees the monitor through just fell out of the frame. All the securing brackets had been bent just enough to allow the monitor to be pushed back against the bungee cards the keep it in place in this particular booth and a long arm could reach over the separating wall and remove cash from the bill stacker. I replaced the brackets with stronger versions and the bungee cords with reinforced nylon tie-down straps. For the next couple of months all deposits matched with the audit reports.
At least until two weeks ago, but we also discovered that the safety glass in front of the camera on another booth was shattered. I replaced the glass and notified that malls security of the issue along with police. The following week another camera glass was broken and again we came up short in the deposit. That was Monday. I stopped by the mall today as I do every Saturday to review the machines and make sure they get replenished for the weekend rush. After checking the unit that was the initial problem, I went to the second one and find the glass in the one I replaced Monday was again shattered. I was really
ricked off this time and got a hold of the mall manager who sent the security manager down to meet me at this booth. He points out the security camera is located right above the booth but is pointed at an exit. Though sympathetic he says he can do little more then file a report and call the city PD for me. After calling the police he informs me a may be a while until they can respond to this call as they are working two other calls in the mall already, so I find a bench nearby and wait.
NOW THIS IS WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING!
After watching people walk around for about 35 or 40 minutes I notice a couple of 19 or 20 year old boys walking around outside the booth shortly after to attractive young teenage girls enter it. I figured they were just watching them on the outside monitor getting their jollies. After a minute they retreat to an adjacent video. Within seconds of the girls leaving though they reappear and one of them slides the curtain over as if he is looking for something then I hear him say to the taller boy "the glass is still gone!". The other boy jumps into the booth as I get up and start walking toward it nonchalantly. As I walk up to the booth the boy on the outside draws the curtain closed and watches me as I look up at the elevator just in front of me. He turns away from me and I step back just as he peers into the booth. I grab the curtain and fling it open to find the one inside up to his should inside the camera opening cursing that it is stuck. I had the forethought to tape the bill stackers access doors shut and wrapped it with some wire. I knew this wouldn't stop anybody who was determined, but it slowed him up enough for me to get a good look at what he was doing. When he realized I caught him he made some lame excuse that it wasn't working and he was shaking the camera as to prove his point. He then said it took his money and he was just getting his money back. Then he says "watch this" as he pulls a dollar bill from his wallet and sticks it in the machine which then says to insert two more dollars. He says he isn't paying three dollars for a picture and demands a refund. I tell him I can't do that but I will take his name and address down and have it sent from the home office. He says "F*** this, I am going to find a cop and takes off. In the meantime the boy who was playing the lookout bolted into the arcade which I find out as the attendant comes out to inform me they have been around this booth frequently and just a short time earlier sold her 25 singles. She calls mall security telling them they were needed right now at the arcade and hung up. Within seconds of her hanging up the lookout leaves the arcade and enters a store several doors down. I see the entire mall security staff
coming towards us on the other side so I flag them down and quickly explain what I saw and pointed to the lookout as he bolted from the other store. A couple of the guys grabbed him out in front of the food court where we caught up with them.
The supervisor started questioning him and he claimed he didn't know anything and never saw the photo booth. Then when the arcade's newly acquired 25 singles came up he admitted he did that, but he had gotten those from his shopping over the process of the day. He also claimed not to know the other youth, which didn't agree with several of the mall employees who had said the two of them had been seen together all week. Long story short the cops arrived very shortly thereafter and the young man left in cuffs though he would not give up his
friend/accomplice.
But it's not quite over!
I walk to the last booth and another section of the mall only to find the glass shattered in it and dollar bills spilled out below the stacker. Same office comes out and says oddly enough they found brass knuckles in his pocket but not to many singles though he did have several other newly purchased items on him including some very expensive sneakers. After doing the audit today it looks like they have gotten me for about $1,000 month not including the damage to the safety glass, bill acceptors and cameras.
Not near as bad as the screwing from Cincinnati but painful
none the less since this directly effects how I make a living. In any case it felt good to catch at least one of the little bastards.
Carter
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Good work Carter. hope they lock the little crooks up. let them learn the hard way about growing up. if they ever do.
Curt
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I say they should just make them pay back what they stole. From the
sound of it, that would be punishment enough and more satisfying to
Carter from a business perspective than hard time (not likely anyway).
Regards,
Jon Heese
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Yeah, I would like to be paid back but at the same time my character and reputation as an honest service tech was questioned by the owners of the booths since I could not explain the losses. So even though I have been vindicated by this arrest and the other
witnesses accounts I still feel the need to have a couple of guys that obviously headed down the wrong path to have some quality time seeing what they are going to end up
experiencing for their stupidity. Kind of reverse from my way of thinking until it actually involved something this personal. Interesting what age does to a person.
Carter
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Another issue with the pay back is since neither one had jobs I would doubt the money they would pay me back with would come from a legitimate source unless they were closely monitored.
Carter
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So are parents liable for the stealing/damage of their juveniles in your area?
Could it be an insurable loss for you?
attend every step of the legal process, including preliminary hearing and bond setting.
If you are out $10,000, shouldn't that be the minimum cash bond?
Good work, good story, thanks
Tim
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Although it has less than zero to do with the GIII, it'a always interesting
to see what our members go through, on their day to day.
U.L.