Was the Air Conditioner Stolen or Not?

Wilkes deputies learned of a recent copper theft from an unlikely source -- a finance company. Deputies were called to a home off Rendezvous Mountain Road last week, after it was discovered that the central air conditioner had been stolen from its pad outside the house. The thieves had simply cut the line and made off with the unit, a frequent method chosen by copper thieves. It was worth about 25-hundred dollars, according to the report, although no brand name, model number or serial number was available.

The home owner, Scott Hays, was seen by a neighbor cutting the unit loose from the house. When deputies talked to him, he said he was still the rightful owner of the property, and had traded the unit, the stove, the refrigerator and the dishwasher for a car. The deputy investigating the reported crime checked county records and contacted the company that sold the home, who told him it wasn't their problem what happened to the unit and appliances. When he called Wells Fargo, the mortgage company listed on the deed, he was first told they did not hold the account. Later, another Wells Fargo employee told the deputy they did in fact have th account, but that it was not shown as being in foreclosure, and Hays was free to do with the property what he wished. At that point, the investigation was closed because of the apparent disagreement in the paperwork.