The Wacky World of Storage: 5 Unforgettable Storage Unit Stories

THE S MOST OUTRAGEOUS SELF-STORAGE STORIES THE TEENAGE MASTER THIEF 17-YEAR-OLD Max WADE HAD A PENCHANT FOR PULLING OFF THEATRICAL HEISTS. IN HIS MOST ANMBITIOUS HEIST, W ADE RAPELLED ONTO THE FLOOR OF A LAMBORGHINI SHOWROOM IN ORDER TO STEAL A CAR BELONGING TO CELEBRITY CHEF GUY FIERI. W ADE KEPT THE LAMBORGHINI IN A RICHMOND, CA SELF-STORAGE UNIT AND WOULD OCCASIONALLY T AKE IT OUT FOR LEISURE DRIVES. THE TEENAGER MGHT HAVE GOTTEN AWAY WITH T, BUT AN ATTEMPT TO KILL A CRUSH AND HER BOYFRIEND IN A DRIVE- BY SHOOTING ON A MOTORCYCLE PUT THE POLICE ON HIS TRAIL. POLICE FOUND FOOT AGE OF W ADE IN HIS DISTINCTIVE HELMET AT A NEARBY GAS STATION. POLICE THEN TRACED THE HELMET TO THE ONLY LOCAL STORE THAT SOLD THE BRAND, WHERE THEY ALSO FOUND FOOT AGE OF WADE PURCHASING THE HELMET. THE AUTHORITIES NOW HAD A FACE TO ATTACH TO THE CRIME, BUT NO NAME. FORTUNATELY, AN OBSERVANT, DETECTIVE RECOGNIZED WADE COMNG OUT OF A COUTROOM, WHERE HE WAS FACING CHARGES OF BRE AKING INTO A MANSION AND HOLDING A PARTY. A FEW DAYS LATER, A POLICE HELICOPTER CHASED W ADE AS HE TOOK FIERI'S LAMBORGHINI FOR A DRIVE, FOLLOWING THE TEENAGER BACK TO HIS STORAGE UNIT AT CSI MINI STORAGE. POLICE FOUND A TREASURE TROVE OF INCRIMIN ATING ITEMS IN W ADE'S STORAGE UNIT, INCLUDING THE STOLEN MOTORCYCLE, AN AK-47, A SAN FRANCISCO POLICE DEP ART MENT UNIFORM, CELLPHONE JAMMING DEVICES, A .357 REVOLVER, AND MULTIPLE FAKE IDS. JEUTENANT 3038 S.F. COLICE RES W ADE WAS CONVICTED OF ATTEMPTED MURDER, AUTO THEFT AND SEVERAL OTHER CH ARGES. HE COULD SPEND 30 YE ARS TO LIFE IN PRISON. THE ORGAN HOARDER A PENSACOLA, FL MAN MADE A GRISLY DISCOVERY WHEN HE OPENED UP THE STORAGE UNIT HE'D JUST WON AT A STORAGE FACILITY AUCTION: THE UNIT WAS FULL OF HUMAN RE MAINS. THE COLLECTION OF ORG ANS INCLUDED HE ARTS, LUNGS AND BRAINS HARVESTED FROM OVER 100 PEOPLE. MOST OF THE ORGANS WERE CRUDELY STORED IN FORMALDEHYDE-FILLED TUPPERW ARE CONTAINERS. HOWEVER, IN ONE PARTICULARLY DISTURBING CASE, A HUMAN HE ART W AS FOUND INSIDE A CRACKED CONVENIENCE STORE STYROFO AM CUP, WHILE TRASH BAGS WERE USED TO STORE OTHER ORGANS. THE STORAGE UNIT BELONGED TO DR. MICHAEL BERKLAND, A FORMER MEDICAL EXAMINER WORKING FOR THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE IN PENSACOLA. BERKLAND HAD BEEN FIRED IN 2003 AND THE ST AT E HAD REVOKED HIS MEDICAL EXAMINER'S LICENSE. BEFORE MOVING TO FLORIDA, BERKLAND H AD LOST HIS LICENSE TO WORK AS A MEDICAL EXAMINER IN MISSOURI. HE WAS ACCUSED OF FALSIFY ING PAPERWORK AND TAKING SECTIONS OF VICTIMS' BRAINS FOR WHAT HE CLAIMED WERE TE ACHING PURPOSES. BERKLAND WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH THE IMPROPER STORAGE OF HAZ ARDOUS WASTE AND KEEPING A PUBLIC NUISANCE. HE WAS RELE ASED ON $10,000 BAIL. THE SNAKE KEEPER IN DIRECT VIOLATION OF HIS RENT AL AGREEMENT, A MAN IN CHESAPE AKE, VÀ RENTED A STORAGE UNIT AND MOVED HIS SIX PET SN AKES IN. NOT WANTING HIS PET SN AKES TO GET COLD, THE MAN INST ALLED A 100-WATT LIGHT BULB TO USE AS A HEAT SOURCE. HE ALSO RAN AN EXTENSION CORD AROUND THE UNIT TO SEVERAL HEATLAMPS. BuT THE SERPENT-MASTER'S MAKESHIFT LAIR WASN'T AS WELL CONSTRUCTED AS HE SUPPOSED. A SHORT CIRCUIT IN HIS ELECTRIC AL EQUIPMENT CAUSED THE STORAGE UNIT TO BURST INTO FLAMES. THE FIRE QUICKLY SPREAD TO ADJACENT UNITS AND THEN THROUGHOUT THE STORAGE FACILITY. FIREFIGHTERS RUSHED TO THE SCENE, BUT THE BLAZE PROVED DIFFICULT TO CONT AIN. IN THE END, 32 STORAGE UNITS WERE DESTROYED. DESPITE THE MASSIVE PROPERTY DAMAGE, NEITHER LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT NOR ANIMAL CONTROL DECIDED TO PRESS CHARGES AGAINST THE RECKLESS SNAKE KEEPER. THE PILLOW PET PILFERER DANNY RAY WRIGHT OF CARLSBAD, CA WAS WORKING AS A FREELANCE SALESMAN FOR CJ PRODUCTS, MAKERS OF A BRAND OF POPULAR STUFFED PILLOW PETS, NAMED FOR THEIR ABILITY TO ANIMALS CALLED PILLOW PETS. MORPH INTO PILLOWS, ARE POPULAR AMONG CHILDREN AND COLLECTORS AND HAVE SECURED LICENSING DE ALS WITH DISNEY, THE NFL AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEB ALL. THE COMPANY MADE $300 MILLION IN REVENUE IN 2010 ALONE. AFTER SELLING PILLOW PETS FOR ONLY THREE WEEKS, WRIGHT WAS TERMINATED FOR NOT SH ARING PROFITS WITH THE COMPANY. HE THEN GOT A JOB AS A FITNESS TRAINER IN THE SAME BUILDING CJ PRODUCTS STORES ITS PILLOW PET INVENTORY . 25 A FEW MONTHS LATER, A CJ PRODUCTS EMPLOYEE CAUGHT W RIGHT IN THE PARKING LOT PILING BOXES OF STUFFED ANIMALS INTO HIS VEHICLE. THE EMPLOYEE REPORTED WRIGHT TO THE POLICE. IT WAS SOON DISCOVERED THAT HE HAD REPEATEDLY BROKEN INTO THE WAREHOUSE TO STEAL PILLOW PETS AFTER HIS TERMINATION. POLICE DISCOVERED OVER 3,50O STOLEN PILLOW PETS IN WRIGHT'S HOME AND STUFFED INTO TWO NE ARBY SELF-STORAGE UNITS. AT $20-$60 PER PILLOW PET, WRIGHT IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE STOLEN MORE THAN $84,000 WORTH OF STUFFED ANIMALS. W RIGHT HAD ALRE ADY SOLD APPROXIMATELY $11,000 IN STOLEN PILLOW PETS ON EBAY. W RIGHT FACED CHARGES OF GRAND THEFT AND BURGLARY, FOR WHICH HE COULD HAVE BEEN SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS AND EIGHT MONTHS IN PRISON. FORTUNATELY FOR WRIGHT, HE WAS ABLE TO STRIKE A DE AL BY PLEADING GUILTY TO ONE COUNT OF GRAND THEFT, AND W AS ONLY SENTENCED TO 15 DAY S OF COMMUNITY SERVICE. THE SCAM ARTIST HARV ARD LAW SCHOOL GRADU ATE JOHN DONALD CODY CRE ATED A FRAUDULENT CHARITY FOR N AVY VETERANS AND STOLE OVER $100 MILLION FROM DONORS IN 41 ST ATES. TES NA NITED ANSOCIATION BEFORE HE WAS EXPOSED, CODY DONATED MONEY TO GEORGE W. BUSH, VA ATTORNEY GENERAL KEN CUCCINELLI, JOHN BOEHNER, JOHN MCCAIN, AND OTHER HIGH-PROFILE GOP FIGURES. THE PRESIDENTN DINNk THE ECCENTRIC MAN WAS KNOWN FOR WE ARING ELABORATE WIGS, APPLYING VASELINE TO HIS FACE, AND USING A TON OF EYE DROPS. Vaseline DE PETROLEUM JELLY E DROPS NET 100g CODY'S SCHEME BEGAN TO FALL APART IN 2010 WHEN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS DISCOVERED FICTICIOUS NAMES ON TAX DOCU MENTS ATTACHED TO THE CHARITY. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT NONE OF THE CHARITY'S $22.4 MILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUE COULD BE ACCOUNTED FOR, NOR WAS THERE ANY RECORD OF A "COMMANDER BOBBY THOMPSON" HAVING SERVED IN THE NAVY RESERVE. CODY WENT ON THE RUN. UNITED MA WA AZ IN FL MARSH RI U.S. MARSH ALS FROM OHIO FOLLOWED HIM ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY - THROUGH ARIZONA, FLORIDA, INDIAN A, MASSACHUSETTS, RHODE ISLAND, WEST VIRGINIA AND W ASHINGTON. CODY WAS EVENTU ALLY ARRESTED IN PORTLAND, OR WHERE HE W AS LIVING IN sQU ALOR. VODKA DESPITE STEALING MILLIONS, CODY ATE AT HOMELESS SHELTERS AND WOULD STOCK UP ON FROZEN PIZZAS, BEEF JERKY AND VODKA. IMPORTED AT HIS DINGY PORTLAND AP ART MENT, THE MARSH ALS FOUND A DVD OF CATCH ME IF You CAN AND A KEY TO A SELF-STORAGE UNIT. INSIDE THE STORAGE UNIT, POLICE FOUND $981,650 IN CASH, STOLEN BIRTH CERTIFIC ATES, SOCIAL SECURITY CARDS AND CREDIT REPORTS. CHARGED WITH RACKETEERING, MONEY LAUNDERING, IDENTITY THEFT, RECORDS TAMPERING AND THEFT, THOMPSON IS LOOKING AT 80 YEARS IN PRISON. UPON ARREST, HE SIGNED HIS BOOKING PAPERS: MR. X. MR. X SOURCES: THE TEENAGE MASTER THIEF: HTTP://BLOG.SP AREFOOT.COM/2373-THE-SELF-STORAGE-INDUSTRYS-RE AL-LIFE-CRI ME-THRILLER/ THE ORGAN HO ARDER: HTTP://BLOG.SELFSTORAGE.COM/STORAGE-NEWS/HUMAN-ORGANS-IN-SELF-STORAGE-BELONG-TO-MEDICAL- EX AMINER-WITH-CHECKERED-PAST-TIES-TO-MYSTERIOUS-DE ATH-OF-JOE-SCARBOROUGHS-FORMER AIDE-2096 THE SNAKE KEEPER: HTTP://BLOG. SELFSTORAGE.COM/STORAGE-NEWS/A-STOLEN-CORVETTE- AND-SNAKES-ON-FIRE-HOW- UNSCRUPULOUS-TENANTS-AVOID-CRIMINAL-CH ARGES-2312 THE PILLOW PET PILFERER: HTTP://BLOG.SELFSTORAGE.COM/STORAGE-NEWS/SAN-DIEGO-MAN-STORES-STOLEN-STUFFED-ANIMALS AVOIDS-H ARD-TIME-2015 THE SCAM ARTIST: HTTP://BLOG.SELFSTORAGE.COM/STORAGE-NEWS/BERNIE-MADOFF-OF-CH ARITY-SCAMS-HIDES-C ASH-IN- SELF-STORAGE-1945 No 40 BROUGHT TO YOU BY: SpareFoot Lilulubulu NOLL VETERA