After her son, Hayden, got his stolen pickup back, Dana Moss Pulis posted this photo on her Facebook page.
Thanks to the power of Facebook—and a bit of old-fashioned shoe leather—Dana Moss Pulis helped her son get his stolen pickup truck back barely half a day after it was stolen.
Here’s the story, as pieced together by Moss Pulis, who owns a business in downtown Billings.
Her 16-year-old son, Hayden, had owned the 2000 Chevy Silverado 2500 for a few months but decided he needed something smaller. Saturday afternoon, Hayden parked it in the lot in front of O’Reilly Auto Parts at 1400 Grand Ave., with a for-sale in the window, then returned home.
About 5 p.m., he got a call from a man who said he was really interested in the truck and would meet him there. Hayden and his father, David, went to the parking lot and the man drove up in a Chevy Avalanche. Oddly enough, that pickup also had a for-sale sign in the window.
The prospective buyer explained that the Avalanche was his and he was trying to sell it because the bed wasn’t quite big enough. He asked to take the Silverado for a test drive, and Hayden, despite some misgivings, allowed him to drive off in his truck.
Fifteen minutes later, the man called Hayden back and said he wanted to buy the truck. He said he planned to swing by his house and get the cash—supposedly, he’d just gotten a tax refund—and would meet Hayden and his father at their home. Better yet, he said his wife was a notary and they could finish the transaction immediately.
Hayden and David went home and waited … and waited. By 6 p.m., Moss Pulis said, she asked her son, “Are you sure this is legit?” By 6:15, she asked him to call the man back. It turned out he’d placed the first call from the O’Reilly store and the second call from another business.
Fortunately, Moss Pulis said, people at the second business knew who the man was. They gave Moss Pulis his name and other information, and in short order she and her son and husband were checking out the guy’s Facebook page. They also did some Googling and found out he was wanted on an outstanding warrant.
By the time Moss Pulis got home at 8:30 p.m., they had filed a report with the police and found out the suspect had several warrants out for his arrest. Meanwhile, because her son had given the man his whole key ring, they had to re-key the locks on their house, and a locksmith was there until 10:30 Saturday night.
By 11, Moss Pulis was ready for bed. But before she hit the hay, she posted a message on Facebook. Your Last Best News correspondent, unable to reach any police commanders Sunday evening, wouldn’t feel right posting the purported thief’s name, but Moss Pulis had no such qualms. Here’s what she wrote:
“Well, this isn’t my favorite thing to do but I need help. Tonight this guy stole my 16-year old’s truck that he worked his ever lovin’ behind off to purchase a few months ago. This guy took it for a test drive because my son was selling it and guess what. . . he never came back. He’s apparently a meth addict and has two warrants out for his arrest. So what I need from you, my friends, is to help find the truck, a 2000 Chevy Silverado 2500, white with a dark grey interior. Here’s the dude’s photo, and his name is (redacted). And if you know him, tell him to bring my kid’s truck back to the parking lot that he stole it from and then go get some help for his addictions and problems. And yep, he’s on Facebook.”
By 8 a.m. Sunday, her post had been shared 80 times, and it was nearing 650 shares later in the day. The post also generated all kinds of leads, including phone calls and private Facebook messages. Moss Pulis even heard that friends of the perp were texting him to let him know the heat was on.
“It got shared like crazy,” she said. “That guy had dog poop smeared all over him and he had flies chasing him.”
Then, at 9 a.m., Moss Pulis received a phone call, saying the truck was in the parking lot of the Gold Dust Casino, on 15th Street West.
And there it was, with very little gas gone, nothing else disturbed and the keys inside. Moss Pulis heard from the police that the Avalanche, which had been left at the parts store, was also stolen and had been returned to its owner.
She was amazed at the response generated by social media, and relieved that her son, who’d worked so hard to buy the truck, had it back. This will be Hayden’s sixth year running his own business, Grasshopper Mowing, Moss Pulis said.
Before he got a license, he built a custom trailer that he attached to his bike so he could haul his lawn mower and other tools around. He had 35 to 40 customers and worked six days a week in the summer. The Silverado was his first big purchase.
“And of course, the truck’s still for sale,” Dana said.
Hayden’s asking $5,000 for it. No word on whether test drives will be allowed.
