Online Ad Leads to Arrest of Alleged Napa Tools Thief

NAPA, CA -- A man who had his tools stolen from a construction site probably thought he'd never see them again after they went missing, but thanks to a crook's brazen attempt to sell the items online, Napa Police were able to reunite the tools and their proper owner.

Police says that over the Christmas holiday weekend, a construction site was burglarized in the 1700 block of Jefferson Street and about $2,500 in tools were stolen.

The alert victim later saw some of his tools being sold via an online sales app and gave the police a call. On the afternoon of Dec. 27, police arranged to meet the seller in the 1600 Block of Brown Street, and Napa resident William Thomas, 32, arrived at the agreed upon time, wheeling a stolen saw down the street on a dolly (pictured in the above photos).

Thomas (also pictured above) was taken into custody by officers who were standing by, and more stolen tools from the burglary were recovered at a nearby residence.

Images via Napa Police