Thieves Steal Trucks From Lawn Business On Christmas

The search is on for a group of thieves and two trucks stolen from a Northwest Oklahoma City lawn care business on Christmas Day.

Chad McClain was enjoying Christmas with his family when something told him to check the security cameras at his business, Squared Away Lawns. He says, “I started talking about my cameras and how I needed to check them more often to make sure that nothing is going on when I’m not there.”

He was shocked by what he saw. “We only had two trucks in the parking lot when there should’ve been five,” says McClain.

Two white 2015 Dodge Rams wrapped with the Squared Away logo and a white 2005 Ford F-150 with company magnets had vanished overnight.

Thieves had already thrown out the GPS trackers on two of the trucks, but one tracker pinged and led McClain to an auto shop on the south side of town. He called police on the way, but when he arrived the gate was open and a man was inside.

“I could feel that something wasn’t right,” says McClain, “but I was blocking the gate so he couldn’t leave, and an officer was driving down SE 44th and I flagged him down.”

McClain says police then went to question the man. “As soon as they went inside the building,” he says, “I went and looked in the windows and I saw our truck parked in the center bay with only a remnant of the wrap left.”

Surveillance video at Squared Away Lawns shows a still-unidentified man rummaging through the shop just after midnight on Christmas Day. The man stole a laptop and found the lockbox full of keys in the bathroom before leaving in the F-150 right before 1 a.m. Six hours later the cameras show three men returning on foot to take the Rams.

McClain had been there the night before to pick up a Christmas gift, but planned to take the entire next week off work, and told his employees to come back after the New Year. He says if he had not looked at his cameras, all three of the trucks would likely be long gone. “I believe God prompted me to do that, looking back,” he says.

McClain did have full coverage insurance to replace the one Dodge Ram that is still missing, but only had liability insurance on the Ford, which will not be replaced if it is not found.

If you have any information, call Oklahoma City police.