Editorial: Be on the lookout for tool thief

Hastings is home to thousands of amazing people. There are wonderful teachers, dedicated volunteers, respected business leaders and hard working moms and dads. Students work hard in the classrooms, as do our law enforcement personnel and city officials.

Hastings is also home to some real heartless thieves.

Again over the weekend, someone looted the burned-out home at the corner of 17th Street West and Pleasant Drive.

A man on a bicycle, pulling a trailer behind him, went into the home’s garage, sifted through a toolbox and helped himself to hundreds of dollars worth of items.

The homeowners, away on a Memorial Day vacation, got an awful jolt back to reality when a Hastings officer called them to let them know about the theft. The crime was reported by an observant neighbor, who ended up catching sight of the two-wheeled perpetrator.

This is the second time since the home burned that a thief has looted the scene, with someone stealing a camper battery previously.

If you happen to know a man who cruises around on a bike with a trailer full of tools behind it, please call the Hastings Police Department at 651-438-2300. They’d love to find this crook.

The family who lost their house will soon be able to rebuild on the site.

It is our sincere hope that their fortunes will soon change for the better.

Tags: opinion, hastings, minnesota, spiral, may, local, editorials