HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A Kingwood man is sharing a warning with other truck owners after thieves took his truck's tailgate twice in a matter of months.
Craig Hay told KHOU 11 News the tailgate of his 2014 Ford F-150 Platinum was stolen for the second time on Tuesday night.
It happened when he went to see a band play at The Heights Theater around 9 p.m. By the time he left the theater at 10:30 p.m., the tailgate had been removed from its hinges.
“My heart fell, I mean it’s a $10,000 tailgate on the back of my truck and we just replaced it, I had it replaced a month," he said.
Hay said his truck was parked on a well-lit street near the theater and the tailgate was locked. There was a secondary tailgate lock attached to the truck well.
“They got that off and then they can just take the tailgate off,” he said. “They hung it back on the hook to show me they got past it.”
The first time his tailgate was stolen was in December. Hay said he was at a Walmart in Porter grocery shopping with his wife. His liability insurance did not cover the cost of the repair which amounted to nearly $9,000 with new parts.
“It’s very frustrating. For a lot of people this isn’t something that can be fixed so easily," he said.
Hay said he now wonders if Ford trucks have been targeted considering the back-to-back tailgate theft he experienced.
Houston police have previously warned that a truck’s tailgate can be stolen in a matter of minutes. Moreover, as tailgates are increasingly equipped with cameras and other expensive technology they’ve become even bigger targets for thieves.
Apart from locks, police advise that trucks be parked as close as possible to garages or other vehicles. They said it prevents thieves from opening the tailgate to fully remove it.
Right now, experts suggest truck owners grab a stainless-steel hose clamp large enough to fit around the bottom pivot point located on the back of any truck. Then screw it down and cover the notch to help deter thieves.
Police also recommend etching your driver’s license number or VIN number onto your tailgate so it can be more easily traced back to you if stolen.
As for Hay, he said he is now debating whether to replace his tailgate again or sell the truck he’s otherwise kept in pristine condition for 10 years.
He told KHOU 11 News that he wants to see HPD do more to fight the problem.
“They just did something for the catalytic converters, they made a sting and got some people, but I’d like to see more action happen [with tailgates], I think they can set up something and maybe catch some of these guys,” he said.