Couple hopes wheels of justice will track stolen Hot Wheels
By Melanie Davis
melanie@highcountrymedia.net

Editor’s note: The names of the victims of the burglary reported in this article have been omitted as they asked their names not be used.

A husband and wife living on Elk Creek Road came home from work Nov. 1 to a shocking surprise.

Their home, located in southeastern Watauga County, had been burglarized and a collection of die cast cars stolen.

In addition to filing a police report, the couple decided to talk to the press in the hopes that someone may have information that will lead to the arrest of the suspect or suspects.

Although Watauga County is fairly calm with respect to violent crimes, property crimes continue to plague homeowners in the county and towns due to several unique factors such as the presence of vacant vacation homes and the isolation of secluded, often remote, homes located across wide swaths of mountain land.

In 2006, more than 200 burglaries were reported in Watauga County — down from 2005.

“When I arrived home, I noticed my dresser drawers were partially open and my jewelry boxes were open. Nothing was missing, so I called my husband at work to ask if he had been looking for something,” she said.
“I thought she was joking with me. Until, after I got home from work, I noticed three boxes of my die cast collection were missing,” he said.

The husband has been collecting die cast vehicles, such as Hot Wheels and models, for 10 years. The cars were rare editions or manufacturer mistakes. The suspect had taken three boxes, which are large and designed for under-the-bed storage, containing more than 1,100 pieces.

A special edition, anniversary set of Hot Wheels containing 40 pieces was also stolen. Each box was labeled with the contents and the suspect took the three most recent years of the collection. After evaluating the collection, the husband has determined approximately $3,500 purchase value of die cast was stolen.

“The strange part of this break-in is that my jewelry was handled, but not taken. There was some cash in the home too, and they didn’t steal that,” she said.

The home was locked, both doors and windows, and the suspect even locked the door behind.

“We moved to the mountains three years ago. The small-town appeal felt very safe. Now, we have to change our lives,” the wife said.

The couple has changed and added locks and checked every window in the home since the break-in. “We feel susceptible to another robbery now that someone has been in the home and rummaged through everything,” she said.

The remaining collection and other valuables have been moved to a private storage unit for security. “It is sad that we can no longer enjoy our things, whether it be my jewelry or the collection my husband spent 10 years building,” the wife said.

The wife stated she would like to see greater community involvement to prevent such crimes. She has contacted other residents of the Elk Creek community to begin a neighborhood watch.

“I would like to see us go back to the days of looking after our neighbors, calling to check on them and watching for strange vehicles in the driveway,” she said.

“We are giving people. I work at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore as a means of giving back to the community. I never expected this,”the husband said.

“We are grateful there were no injuries, that neither of us were home sick from work that day,” she said.

Anyone who has seen green and white striped cardboard boxes, or heard of someone trying to sell large quantities of Hot Wheels or NASCAR collectible models, please call the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office at (828) 264-3761.

An anonymous tip may be made to Watauga County Crimestoppers at (828) 262-4555. All information will be kept confidential.