An ad on Craigslist said that everything in an Oregon home was free for the taking. People descended on the house like locusts and cleaned it out. The only problem? The ad was a hoax. The owner, Robert Salisbury, was robbed blind by strangers who, based on an online post, thought they had the right to take all his stuff.
The good news? The perpetrators of the hoax have been caught. Smoking Gun has their mugshots and their motive: "The Herberts, investigators charge, did this to cover up their prior theft of several saddles and other items from the garage of the rural southern Oregon house."
Now it's just a matter of getting all the looters to return the things they took. The above video shows some people sheepishly returning household items. The police are looking to charge anyone who doesn't return Salisbury's property with theft.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. ada, your journalism has always inspired me...
in fact, that story inspires me to finally get revenge on my ex-boyfriend.
hannah at 1:57PM on Apr 3rd 2008
2. Why do people behave like savages? Just because you see something on an internet list, so what? Didn't you get a clue when the homeowner was not home?! Why would anyone with a half a brain take things off someone's property without their permission? It's called theft. We can debate whether or not these morons should be criminally charged, but it is clear none of them have any morals.
David S. at 2:27PM on Apr 3rd 2008
3. lol as far as i can tell all thats on craigs list are crooks and scammers im sure someone will repeat it
realworld at 3:16PM on Apr 3rd 2008
4. Prison time for them! Lots! Scumbags!
Ken at 4:26PM on Apr 3rd 2008
5. David S:
I think we're looking at white trailer trash when it comes to the looters.
Ken at 4:28PM on Apr 3rd 2008
6. Hannah - the hoaxers were caught...
Man_in_Wilderness at 6:32PM on Apr 3rd 2008
7. It's interesting that no one seems to think that maybe the people making loads of $$$ off of Craig's List might have SOME responsibility to monitor the site better, or at least to have visible warnings against such hoaxes.
Geez, even to get your home repaired you have to show verification of ownership. Craig's could be a little more on the ball in terms of disclaimers and information to site users about legal responsibility. It does strain credulity a bit, as regards the intelligence of the participants, but who knows how it was presented? The story doesn't give all the details.
Nice touch that someone used the slur "white trailer trash" to make it racial AND classist.
And failed to mention that the two "trashy" people shown are RETURNING items.
I love everybody! at 9:49AM on Apr 5th 2008