Couple buys stolen trailer belonging to CA artist, turns into Las Vegas police

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Two weeks ago, a California artist had his truck, trailer, and 25 pieces of art stolen from a local casino parking lot while stopped overnight in Vegas. There is good news in the search for what was stolen, but the saga is not over.

“We have searched everything we possibly could for a couple of days and then it was time to go home,” shared Rhomie Thompson from Fresno. Thompson specializes in art pieces made from recycled materials and was approached by an Arizona gallery to display his work. Thompson was on the way to deliver two dozen when his red Chevy Silverado, black 16-foot trailer, and all the art locked inside were stolen. His truck was found in a lot off I-15 in North Las Vegas and for the last two weeks, he’s continued his search for the trailer and art virtually.

“We were looking on Offer Up, Craigslist, Facebook marketplace,” Thompson recounted. While he had the right idea to look online, he wasn’t on the right site.

“The trailer was actually listed for sale on Instagram and bought off on Instagram,” Thompson explained to FOX5 after driving back to Las Vegas after a call from Metro.

“We got to talk to the good citizens who were hoping to buy a trailer for themselves and after they bought it, kind of got this weird, hinky feeling that something wasn’t quite right,” Thompson explained. After paying $800, the buyer was given fake DMV paperwork, but it had the trailer’s real VIN.

“She actually called her husband and said, ‘I think I got a stolen trailer’… She looked it up and of course, it was stolen so they immediately called Metro,” Thompson stated. The art is still missing but Thompson says the strangers are not only giving him his trailer back but also his faith in people.

“It gives me hope and just affirms the fact that there are great people in the world,” Thompson contended.

While Thompson once again has a way to transport the unique art he creates, he is still hopeful to find what was taken.

“They are very unique, so they are easily recognizable… We would love to recover that artwork. Even if you’re the person who took our truck, let us make arraignments and come pick it up somewhere,” Thompson pleaded.

Thompson said the stolen art is not covered by his insurance so it’s a total loss of six months of work.

Tuesday, he plans to meet with the couple who turned in the stolen trailer to Metro and give them a reward as they lost money buying the stolen trailer.

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