Chiang Mai gold shop robber is down on his luck ex US serviceman

[mikecha]

US MILITARY  

 

many here said a thief is a thief    but being a disiplined soldier  he should know better  

in the miitary he would go to the stockade  or M.C.C  here he will go to thai hilton where things could get rough for him 

silly silly guy  

 

must know in this country that what you invest be prepaired to loose all and have enough over/reserve put away to carry on  or move out.

if you just think i will be fine bla bla not listen what has been going on then you will loose 

if in doubt ask the forum mauy many guys /girls here will give you good advise   of course you Always have the  silly replies 

but guess who write them dont have anything els to do but look a a beer bottle and winge all day 

there are realy good advise people here  

[elliss]

Quality farlang, from the US of A.   Give the guy a chance / Chang .

Edited August 30, 2017 by elliss

[alex8912]

1 hour ago, gabruce said:

It's a peculiar train of thought that turns someone who believes Thai police don't pursue thai on farang crimes as diligently as farang on thai crimes (true or not doesn't matter) into being a White Supremacist. It's (slightly) possible that you are correct, and at the same time it's a huge leap and a very inflammatory accusation. Maybe save it for a real White Supremacist?

To clear the air Abrahamzvi made a huge leap. Thank you.  

[Emster23]

Down on his luck but up on his stupid

[Sig]

4 hours ago, alex8912 said:

There have been a few stories about foreigners getting caught with the use of several CCTV's and this case probably had to use many to catch him. The CCTV cameras seem to not work as well or are broken with many reported cases involving Thai crimes against foreigners however. 

 

I wouldn't be surprised in the least if this is a fabrication just to make people think they are really good with those cameras or to make people think twice about trying to get away with crimes. They could have perhaps even more easily gotten his plate number from a camera right by the shop and traced his registration to him in a matter of minutes. Well... not sure if they are set up well enough here to do it that fast, but nonetheless it should be very simple without needing to check who knows how many cameras. That sounds ridiculous... as if there are cameras right to his doorstep!? Give me a break. It sounds very contrived. But I'll grant that it is certainly possible since they'd only need to get to the entrance of the village he lives in and then scour the village for the bike, assuming it wasn't hidden, but tracing the registration would be one hell of a lot easier!

[csabo]

I got tired of the "Thank the heroes" propaganda long ago.  Not everyone who joins the armed forces is a hero.  There are some, but not all.  There is more honor it jumping off a hotel balcony then there is in robbing a jewelry store.  If he genuinely suffers from PTSD or some other condition I can empathize but if he is just an <deleted> I have more important things to care about.

[The Old Bull]

10 hours ago, chrisinth said:

Sorry, no sympathy from here. He certainly wasn't the first to fail in business in this country and won't be the last.

I don't understand what being an ex-serviceman has to do with this story either; he was a thief that got caught is all.

The significance of being an ex serviceman means he most probably has a pension and therefore is not flat broke. 

[kingstonkid]

6 hours ago, CNXBKKMAN said:

You can return to the USA get a job, do some hard graft(work not corruption..) take the overtime, get a better job etc . Or would you take the high risk strategy of robbing a gold shop and gaining less than one months wages worth of gold, even less when you have to sell it to gain cash? All the desperadoes i have encountered will take crazy risks for little reward if it can stave of the day they have to get a job. 

       

One of the things that puzzles me is this ex US serviceman.  I am assuming he did not do the time to get a pension.  That is too bad.  I agree that there are many people that end up in drastic measures.  Unfortunately, i think a lot of these people have issues that may prevent them from leaving or their ego and having nowhere to go in the US can be an issue.  It is unfortunate.  IF TV really wanted to perform a service for expats it might develop a hotline for those that are having issues or need assistance.  I am sure there are a lot of us that would assist with it.  

I count myself as lucky i have been suicidal twice in my life and had people that cared enough to make sure I got the help.  I almost got that low here but again people directed me where I needed to go.

 

REMEMBER BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD

[mrdome]

13 hours ago, farang1979 said:

Poor bugger. Desperate act committed by a desperate man. 

There are some lines that you just do not cross in life.

 

Imagine if everyone in a financial tight spot did this!

 

In addition, overstaying always brings out the "up in arms brigade" while they remain silent on these threads. IMO, committing a crime like this hurts the behaved & legal foreign residents plenty more in the long run.

Edited August 30, 2017 by mrdome
Had more to add

[juice777]

Wow !, the police are getting a lot better,following CCTV footage right to his door.
unusual for the cameras to be working for such a long distance.and unlucky for him.
regards worgeordie

He must have lived next door

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[hotchilli]

15 hours ago, chrisinth said:

Sorry, no sympathy from here. He certainly wasn't the first to fail in business in this country and won't be the last.

I don't understand what being an ex-serviceman has to do with this story either; he was a thief that got caught is all.

I'm not condoning his actions, theft is theft, but obviously he's down on his luck & needed some quick cash

not the way to go to get it & will now pay back heavily...

Thailand obviously didn't work-out for him business wise, now he'll be on a plane back home & maybe get some support to start over again!

 

If your world unfortunately turns to shit one day we'll give you the same sympathy !!

 

[gios50hk]

16 hours ago, chrisinth said:

Sorry, no sympathy from here. He certainly wasn't the first to fail in business in this country and won't be the last.

I don't understand what being an ex-serviceman has to do with this story either; he was a thief that got caught is all.

Totally agree! Is he saying that being ex-military excuses him from being just another low-life in Thailand?

 

My wife and I have suffered a much worse fate than this loser - but we would never dream of stealing from others! Pathetic!

[metisdead]

Offensive posts and replies have been removed. 

[hdkane]

15 hours ago, observer90210 said:

People die of hunger in certain places, but they refrain from becoming criminals or thieves....

 

No sympathy and least of all, no excuses for the scum that break the law and that too at the expense of another person's hard work [or integrity].

 

In this case the chap is just a common thief and would certainly contribute to enhance the image of farangs in the country....

 

Had it been a Thai (or an african)  having  robbed a farang, it would have ignoted the brainless white supremacist thai bashers, who must be disappointed that the thief was not "arab" , as cited...

 

 The point here is that a crime is a crime, and nothing to do whether it is a US ex-military or a Thai or an Arab...

thai bashing (criticizing thais as a group) doesn't make someone racist...you're virtue signaling here...i could say you are racist, since you didn't bother to captialize "african" "arab"...see how easy that is?

[chrisinth]

I'm not condoning his actions, theft is theft, but obviously he's down on his luck & needed some quick cash
not the way to go to get it & will now pay back heavily...
Thailand obviously didn't work-out for him business wise, now he'll be on a plane back home & maybe get some support to start over again!
 
If your world unfortunately turns to shit one day we'll give you the same sympathy !!
 

If my world ever turns to sh1t, don't worry about the sympathy, none will be asked for.

Nor would I resort to petty crime to resolve my situation. I say that as an ex-serviceman who still remembers respect for others.

[hobobo]

17 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Wow !, the police are getting a lot better,following CCTV footage right to his door.

unusual for the cameras to be working for such a long distance.and unlucky for him.

regards worgeordie

Yet they couldn't follow poor old Yingluck anywhere?!?

[inThailand]

Yeah, it seems CCTV cameras only record "white" crime.

[MyFriend You]

9 hours ago, Sig said:

I wouldn't be surprised in the least if this is a fabrication just to make people think they are really good with those cameras or to make people think twice about trying to get away with crimes. They could have perhaps even more easily gotten his plate number from a camera right by the shop and traced his registration to him in a matter of minutes. Well... not sure if they are set up well enough here to do it that fast, but nonetheless it should be very simple without needing to check who knows how many cameras. That sounds ridiculous... as if there are cameras right to his doorstep!? Give me a break. It sounds very contrived. But I'll grant that it is certainly possible since they'd only need to get to the entrance of the village he lives in and then scour the village for the bike, assuming it wasn't hidden, but tracing the registration would be one hell of a lot easier!

It's been pointed out before that the cameras will only record the front of the vehicle, Moto's licenses are on the rear.............Its feasible they actually traced him with the camera's.

[Loaded]

I don't know the guy but he was obviously desperate.

 

A lot of guys come here and get taken in - the old "my one is different" comment. I bet most of us have been taken, big or small, at some time in the past. However, whatever I decide to do in business or a relationship, I keep a 'parachute' carefully hidden away in case I need to bail out quietly and discretely. For me, not planning an escape was his main mistake. Investing in a wet dream was a lesser mistake.

 

 

Edited August 31, 2017 by Loaded

[tonray]

11 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

Right. I often go out robbing gold shops when I`m short of cash, as I`m sure most of us do.

I think there is more in the till at sizzler and you don't need to fence that before you can spend it !

[idman]

What proof is there that this tosser was actually in the U.S. services or that he failed miserably in a business other than his say so as reported. If I had a baht for every clown that claimed to be in the services in some country or was in the special forces of those countries I could die a very rich man.

[Meljames]

6 minutes ago, idman said:

What proof is there that this tosser was actually in the U.S. services or that he failed miserably in a business other than his say so as reported.

 

Doesn't matter either way as he's charged with is robbery, not telling stories about his past.

[teacherofwoe]

I'd just like to clear up the facts of this case  and then feel free to give your thoughts and opinions.

 

Adam did serve in the US Navy and he was discharged with a very small disability pension. I believe it is the region of B10,000 per month. He has lived here for about 10 years with his Thai wife and they have a six year old child. They have a nice house and car fully paid for and his wife has a steady but modest income. They have lived comfortable within their means but still were able to send their child to a private school. His pension money is not really a factor in their ability to survive.  Adam has not made a business venture during his time here, so either he told the police that for whatever reason or the reporting or information from the police is incorrect.

 

Since I met Adam 10 years ago, he has been on medication for chronic insomnia, which was why he was discharged with a disability pension After leaving the navy, he attempted to hold down a few jobs back in the US but was unable to do so because of mental health difficulties. He came to Thailand because his brother was living here. He met his wife and settled down and started a family. In all of this time, I have never known him to do or say anything that would suggest he would do anything criminal, violent or deliberately hurtful. However, there were numerous times that he was depressed, confused or "spaced out" due to his insomnia.

 

About three months ago, he stopped taking his medication. Nobody knows why or exactly when, not even his wife. He started to decline rapidly, doing and saying things so totally out of character. Many people have tried to get him back on his meds but it became increasingly difficult to hold a conversation with him. The situation became so bad that his wife had no other choice to divorce him last week. She moved out with their child and let him stay in their house.  The rest you already know. 

 

My concern is that the court needs to take into account his medical condition and he should be declared mentally incompetent. Then, I think the best situation for him would be deportation to the US directly into care. The US Embassy has been made aware of the situation and I hope they can represent Adam appropriately during his hearing. To sum up his current mental capacity, his wife and my wife went to visit him in jail two days ago and he didn't recognize either of them. I have offered to be a character witness at his trial if needed. If anyone else who knows Adam and would be willing to make a statement of good character about him, please PM me. Thank you.

Edited August 31, 2017 by teacherofwoe

[Sig]

9 hours ago, TunnelRat69 said:

It's been pointed out before that the cameras will only record the front of the vehicle, Moto's licenses are on the rear.............Its feasible they actually traced him with the camera's.

Not sure what the context was or where that was pointed out, but I can see that would likely be the case for major thoroughfares like the road going to HangDong. On the other hand, I have seen cameras pointed in directions that would catch the rear or cars in numerous places. And I have seen cctv pics of license plates on motorcycles. On top of this, Phuket had a contract to have cameras installed that would issue fines automatically for cars as well as motorcycles. They specifically mentioned motorcycle plates would be caught to be used in sending out fines. Although I haven't heard about anything specifically like this in Chiangmai, it's not hard to see how just regular cctv in sois or shopping areas could catch plates of vehicles in both directions since the lanes are quite small.
But yes, it is feasible that they could trace him to nearby his home, as I mentioned. I was just thinking that would be the last resort when much easier options seem like they could very likely be available.

[Ruffian Dick]

On 8/30/2017 at 0:13 AM, farang1979 said:

Poor bugger. Desperate act committed by a desperate man. 

And that's most crime, isn't it?

[smotherb]

On 8/30/2017 at 6:17 PM, saakura said:

And nice tattoo too

and he is getting bald

[gk10002000]

On ‎8‎/‎30‎/‎2017 at 7:34 AM, thenewgoo said:

He committed a crime - sometimes people get hurt or killed, accidentally or not. At what point does one stop and reflect that the dream isn't on track and head for safer waters? Desperate times call for desperate acts. It's a sad story.

Temptation, rationalization, Greed, Avarice, the dream of paradise, easy life, pretty/sexy girl friend.  Most importantly "Desire", the root of all suffering if one believes in Buddhism.  It all seemed within reach. 

[Naam]

On 8/30/2017 at 10:01 PM, cyberfarang said:

Right. I often go out robbing gold shops when I`m short of cash, as I`m sure most of us do.

[Naam]

On 8/31/2017 at 1:11 PM, teacherofwoe said:

I'd just like to clear up the facts of this case  and then feel free to give your thoughts and opinions.

 

Adam did serve in the US Navy and he was discharged with a very small disability pension. I believe it is the region of B10,000 per month. He has lived here for about 10 years with his Thai wife and they have a six year old child. They have a nice house and car fully paid for and his wife has a steady but modest income. They have lived comfortable within their means but still were able to send their child to a private school. His pension money is not really a factor in their ability to survive.  Adam has not made a business venture during his time here, so either he told the police that for whatever reason or the reporting or information from the police is incorrect.

 

Since I met Adam 10 years ago, he has been on medication for chronic insomnia, which was why he was discharged with a disability pension After leaving the navy, he attempted to hold down a few jobs back in the US but was unable to do so because of mental health difficulties. He came to Thailand because his brother was living here. He met his wife and settled down and started a family. In all of this time, I have never known him to do or say anything that would suggest he would do anything criminal, violent or deliberately hurtful. However, there were numerous times that he was depressed, confused or "spaced out" due to his insomnia.

 

About three months ago, he stopped taking his medication. Nobody knows why or exactly when, not even his wife. He started to decline rapidly, doing and saying things so totally out of character. Many people have tried to get him back on his meds but it became increasingly difficult to hold a conversation with him. The situation became so bad that his wife had no other choice to divorce him last week. She moved out with their child and let him stay in their house.  The rest you already know. 

 

My concern is that the court needs to take into account his medical condition and he should be declared mentally incompetent. Then, I think the best situation for him would be deportation to the US directly into care. The US Embassy has been made aware of the situation and I hope they can represent Adam appropriately during his hearing. To sum up his current mental capacity, his wife and my wife went to visit him in jail two days ago and he didn't recognize either of them. I have offered to be a character witness at his trial if needed. If anyone else who knows Adam and would be willing to make a statement of good character about him, please PM me. Thank you.

thanks! it's always good to hear from other perspectives.

[KiChakayan]

On 8/30/2017 at 3:23 PM, Kerryd said:

Not sure how they initially thought he was an "Arab" (which was how it was reported in the ORIGINAL news article for those that think they are smarter than everyone else).
 

I reckon the shopkeeper was from Paris...