California Man Arrested for Stealing Fire Department Equipment

CONCORD, Calif.– A man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of pilfering firefighting equipment from the Contra Costa Fire District’s annexes over the span of a year, investigators said.

Concord resident Steven Wright, 42, has been linked to a series of thefts that surfaced last July when someone was seen climbing a fence at the fire district’s training center in the 2900 block of Treat Boulevard. Once sighted, the intruder dropped what he was carrying and fled.

That remained unsolved until this past month, when an audit revealed the disappearance of various items — including breathing units, axes, sledgehammers, and even a chain saw — sparking an investigation involving fire investigators and Concord police.

“We did a security survey, and realized we’ve been missing equipment over the past year,” said Fire Investigator Vic Massenkoff.

Investigators canvassed the sprawling training center and found multiple breaches in the fencing, Massenkoff said. Based on the location of those breaches, they researched people associated with the adjacent properties and Wright, with a criminal past that included theft, stood out.

Investigators began surveillance operations and on several occasions they recorded Wright on the property, Massenkoff said. That became the basis of a felony arrest warrant obtained by Concord police.

Wright was located Wednesday in a neighborhood off Cowell Road and was arrested.

Massenkoff did not reveal what, if any, equipment had been recovered, but said residents should be on the lookout for firefighting equipment either emblazoned with Contra Costa Fire District insignia or that would seem unusual for a civilian to have.

“If it appears to be something fire department related, we’d love to hear from them,” Massenkoff said. “Last year a ConFire icebox showed up at a swap meet in San Jose.”

Anyone with information about the thefts or believes they have spotted some of the missing equipment can call fire investigators at 925-942-9140 or Concord police at 925-671-3030.

Robert Salonga covers public safety. Contact him at 925-943-8013. Follow him atTwitter.com/robertsalonga .
Steven Wright
March 30, 2012