Omaha small business owner plays detective, recovers stolen truck

28/06/2023

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A truck stolen from an employee’s home has been recovered by company owner Tyler Allis because he hid an Apple AirTag inside.

“Basically just shows me where the truck is located,” Allis said. “I pulled up and the truck was right in the back of the parking lot right there.”

The AirTag led Allis to his truck in a southwest Omaha hotel’s parking lot — but it didn’t look the same. To try and hide their theft, the thieves went to the extent of spray-painting the side of the truck, covering the company’s logo and phone number.

Allis said the door lock had been cut and the inside cleaned out, with more than $60,000 in demolition and restoration tools stolen.

“I work hard for everything I own, and to have it just be stolen just like that is violating, so I’ve done a lot of my own detective work on this,” Allis said.

That includes him obtaining a store security picture of a man who allegedly used a credit card that had been in the stolen truck. But the determined victim didn’t stop there.

Allis got a Facebook tip and confronted a man who allegedly bought tools from the suspect.

“Basically by doing my own detective work, I can pinpoint that’s where my tools went.”

Until he gets any of his tools back, Allis bought new ones that he’ll better protect with more AirTags and cameras mounted in and around his truck.

So where does he get the drive to investigate his theft case and provide police with leads? His grandfather is the late Tim Dempsey, former Elkhorn police chief and chief deputy sheriff.

“I think it may be in my DNA,” Allis said.

An Omaha Police detective is actively investigating the theft. OPD tells 6 On Your Side that help from victims in solving crimes is appreciated, but it’s better to pass along information to officers. Confronting suspects is discouraged because it might lead to a volatile situation.