Police are searching for two men who they say stole lumber from a construction site in Lenexa, Kansas.
The pair of crooks targeted the construction project off of K-7 and Prairie Star Parkway.
Greg Prieb's workers caught the suspects red-handed around 5:30 a.m.
“They noticed a truck was loading up quite a bit of lumber. The guys then got into their car and started taking off,” Prieb told 41 Action News. “My construction workers started following them, the guys in the truck—doing the theft—pulled a gun and pointed it at my construction guys and told them off back off.”
Prieb said the pair of thieves went after a specific kind of lumber— siding—each piece worth $40-50.
The workers snapped a few photos of the duo hauling away the stolen lumber, which Prieb said is now a hot commodity among thieves.
“Lumber is our number one, windows number two,” he said.
In the last month Preib's sites have been hit at least eight times.
“The K-7 corridor -- Lenexa, Olathe, Shawnee we've had quite a bit of theft in that area same thing last year,” Prieb said.
Usually around the same time of day.
“If someone has been casing the area we do have a little vulnerableness being able to pull right in and right out,” Prieb said.
A few weeks ago workers recorded cell phone video of a suspicious pickup truck. They believe this is the same one from this morning.
Lenexa Police said since May 1, officers responded to thefts at four residential construction sites and two commercial sites.
Prieb's advise to other homebuilders:
“Try to keep everything illuminated, locked up, minimize your exposure of deliveries from them sitting on the ground from them being installed,” he said.
Prieb plans to add more security cameras at his sites and is looking hire off-duty officers to the keep thieves away.
If you know anything about this theft call Lenexa Police or the KC Crimestoppers Hotline (816) 474-TIPS (8477).
