UPDATE:
A fully loaded U-Haul truck and trailer that was stolen from a Troutdale hotel parking lot has been recovered. Acting on a tip, police found the trailer at a home in Gresham. 49-year-old Joseph Patterson was arrested while in the process of unloading the trailer. Deputies got a search warrant for his car and found more stolen items and a gun. Patterson was released from jail this morning and when he arrived to get his car, he was arrested again for felon in possession of a firearm. The couple that was moving from Arizona to Oregon, and had the U-Haul stolen, said they're thrilled to get it back.
Original Story:
A couple moving from Arizona to Portland, Oregon, had their fully-loaded moving truck stolen from a Troutdale hotel parking lot overnight while they were asleep. The U-Haul truck and trailer contained nearly everything they owned.
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies responded to the theft report at around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, February 24th. The couple was staying at a hotel in the 1000 block of NW Graham Road. The couple reported that they parked the U-Haul moving truck and trailer adjacent to their hotel room. Around 1 a.m., they found the moving truck and trailer to be gone.
Deputies reviewed the hotel’s security camera footage. Video shows a silver SUV with two people enter the hotel parking lot around 11 p.m. One person is seen breaking into the truck, starting it and driving away with the trailer. The suspect car followed behind.
Deputies are asking for the public’s help in locating the truck and trailer and any items that were stolen. Such items include: furniture, clothes, valuables, sporting equipment and sentimental items, such as family photos, personal artwork and a handmade wool-braided rug, among many other items.
The couple states their “entire life" is in the truck and trailer, and that this is a “devastating loss.”
The truck is described as a U-Haul brand, 20-foot truck, with a unique image of a hawk and a map of the Tongass National Forest with the title, Alaska, printed on the side. The trailer is standard in size, 6 feet by 12 feet, with orange and black graphics.
- Truck: Arizona license plate, AJ29091
- Trailer: Indiana license plate: TR-916KMS
Anyone who has information about this crime, may have witnessed the theft or locates the stolen truck and/or trailer is urged to call the non-emergency line at 503-823-3333, and refer to Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office report number: 22-8219. If the truck is occupied, call 911.