NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville business owner has his stolen trailer back, but the equipment inside is gone.
After NewsChannel 5 aired surveillance footage of the theft, a viewer spotted the trailer and alerted its owner, Michael Hendershot.
Hendershot, an expert in parking lot maintenance, has spent nearly two decades collecting and purchasing equipment for his business, Sealcoating Specialist.
“This is my livelihood, and this is how I feed my family,” Hendershot said.
Over the weekend, he left his tools inside his trailer at an apartment complex off Nolensville Pike. Within minutes, several people swooped in and stole it.
The theft was caught on camera.
“The vehicle used to steal it — the GMC Acadia. How it pulled that trailer, I have no clue,” Hendershot added.
Then, the situation took an even crazier turn — a ransom demand.
“They were like, ‘Pay to get your trailer. We will tell you where you tell us, and we will give you the location of the trailer,’” he recalled.
On Monday morning, a school bus driver spotted the abandoned trailer four miles away at Windland Terrace Apartments.
“Luckily, one of your viewers saw it and told me where it was,” Hendershot said.
But everything inside was gone.
“Insurance will give you a $5,000 maximum for a piece of equipment,” he said.
Hendershot called police for help.
“Four and a half hours, I waited. I called probably five times and kept saying, ‘This is a tier one case. We can’t tell you when someone will come out,” he said.
The situation has left him frustrated.
“I’ve got five employees right now who are not working. Today, I go out of pocket for about $50,000 trying to buy new equipment so I can keep working,” he explained.
Hendershot believes the stolen equipment is still nearby and hopes police can find those responsible.
“They said this vehicle that stole mine stole another one this weekend also,” he said.
Now, he just wants his livelihood back.
“I would love to get my equipment back,” he said.
Later Tuesday afternoon, Hendershot said police were able to recover some of the stolen equipment. Authorities said the case remains an active investigation.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at aaron.cantrell@newschannel5.com
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