The Victim: Mike Molthan
Date: Monday, Nov. 19
Time: Between 6:30 p.m. and 10:15 p.m.
Location: 6600 block of Mimosa

No More Tailgating for Mike

Mike Molthan had been having some medical issues that week. “I went to the hospital with migraines and high blood pressure,” he says.Doctors kept him for a couple days to make sure everything was OK. As if things weren’t bad enough, one night when his wife returned from visiting him in the hospital,the tailgate on his 2011 Chevy Silverado pickup truck had been stolen.

The tailgate will cost a few hundred dollars, Molthan says, but his insurance will probably cover it. In recent days, he says his health issues have subsided and he is trying to stay positive and take things in stride.

“This is very minor to me,” he says of the stolen tailgate. “It’s not a big deal.”

Dallas Police Major Bill Humphrey of the North Central Patrol Division says this type of crime is tough to prevent.

“It doesn’t take long to remove a tailgate, even a locked one, making it a more elusive crime,” he says. “The average one to replace is around $1,200, according to some websites. We are seeing some of these types of offenses, but not consistently. With the cameras on some of the new tailgates, their costs obviously increase, which may make them more of a lucrative target.

”Humphrey advises residents to consider some additional safety items that can be purchased from a dealer or vehicle accessory store. And always call 911 when you see unusual or suspicious activity, he adds, giving police the best chance to make an arrest.

|  Crime Numbers  |

3:14

Time of afternoon when officers received a call about a suspicious

man entering an empty school bus on 729 W. Jefferson Blvd.

2

Number of officers it took to pry the bus’s door open after

they showed up and found the man sitting in the front seat

and trying to set fire to papers in his lap.

12000

Block of Inwood Road where the school bus was originally

reported stolen from at 1 a.m.

 

SOURCE: Dallas Police Department