Bathroom bandit: Toilet parts disappearing from restaurants
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WOODLAND, Wash. – Someone is targeting restaurant bathrooms and stealing toilet parts, and the victims believe whoever is doing it knows a thing or two about plumbing.
Police say they think the thieves might be stealing the parts for scrap metal but they can't be sure.
On Sunday night, manager Alicia Leyva was counting tills when "Alex, one of our employees, comes in and says, (with a) really dumbfounded look on his face, and goes, 'I think someone stole our urinal,'" she said.
More specifically, it was the pipe and flush valve at the top. The thief hit other restaurants too: A McDonald's and Muchas Gracias in Longview and another McDonald's in Woodland along with the Dairy Queen.
Employees at the Dairy Queen believe whoever walked into the bathroom and stole the parts knew what they were doing, because tools are needed to take the parts off. Additionally, the thief was careful not to leave a mess behind.
"It had to be a professional because there was no water on the floor," Leyva said. "There was none. You would think the water would have went everywhere."
Plumbing salesman Barry Eichler agreed.
"You've gotta shut off the water; you've gotta have a large wrench to take them apart, because once you take these off of a plumbing fixture, you're going to have water really flowing," he said.
The thief avoided that. And just as quickly as the parts were taken, they were replaced by restaurant owners.
"I don't think he believed me at first," she said. "I think he thought – I don't know what he thought – maybe I was joking or something."
Each one of those fixtures sells for between $100 and $200 on average. Police said anyone trying to sell them for scrap metal wouldn't get anywhere near the purchase price, but they couldn't name a specific amount.
soon thru lobbying there will be no public restrooms were you go. the eat joints will just put a hand washing sink in the front for washing hands and that will satisfy the health department.
Watch now they will make a plastic flusher overseas and import it and put more american manufactures out of a job and we will get wet every 1000 flushes when the plastic breaks.
Where's the "find my bathroom fixtures" app when you need it?Â
Gypsies
What some people will do for a Bowl of Crack.
It is usually the Toilet that Runs.
A Twekers Pipe dream.
Once they sell those parts they should be Flush again.
I am sure the Business owners are P'd Off!
Just shows how Crappy our economy is.
The composite sketch just shows a Plumber's Crack!
 @swede760 Booooo! <chuckle>  Bad puns are the best!
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Once the robber is finished, neither the owner nor the patrons will have a pot to P in!
If this person targets police stations next, the cops might not have anything to go on....
$10 worth of scrap metal, $500 worth of damage.
No kidding.
I emailed them this story this mornng. When I worked for BK in Longview it happened to us twice.
Great, I can see it now....when you go to a restaurant from now on you're going to have to get the key from an employee because the door will be locked and you'll have to leave your credit card for a deposit or at least your ID.........I hope they catch the creeps!
Nah. They'll just put alarms on all the parts and metal detectors at the exits.
The urinal in my restaurant kept getting "attacked" for the copper. My plumber put on an anti-theft device and we haven't had any more trouble. But the bill for fixing the problems was over $500.00. It's reasons like this that prices keep going up.
@WendyTeagarden Well that was awfully schytty of them to do that Wendy
I wonder what he is really going to do with those fixtures? Â Maybe he is building a bike frame out of it!?
supporting their plumbers crack habit
What a pisser
What a crappy thing to do!
 @DeaconBugg Oh, you kid! ];->
he hit triangle bowl in Longview too.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=454694067915288&set=a.350688794982483.109371.100001240958817&type=1&theaterhere is a surveillance pic of him
Meth heads! Â
Oh, good grief! More news I just have to have to know where I am in relation to the world's events! Come on KATU, get with the program and deliver news!
@jpk Yeah, I agree with Wendy and Mechanic. No one held a pipewrench to your head and forced you to read the article. But of course working for a rival news source, you knew that.
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If you've ever needed to use a facility which was closed due to vandalism, you wouldn't blather such bogus opinions.
Then why did you click on the headline?
@jpk Sometimes, after a long hard day at work, it is nice to sit down to "out of the usual" stories or the Offbeat varieties. Since you obviously have a computer, look for all the serious news at any website you choose.