The typical smiley face logo for Jackson Kayak turned to a frown on Friday, Aug. 31, when the company’s 350 truck and trailer were stolen outside the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City as employees were packing up their booth and loading it up to head home.
According to a FaceBook post by sales manager Marty Cronin, “Paddlesports Retailer show in OKC this week was amazing for Jackson Kayak and Blue Sky Boatworks. Looks like a great year ahead. That said, we also got our truck and trailer stolen while attaching the trailer to the truck…”
The post continues: “I’ve never been involved with a car being stolen. It happens and it happens way quicker then you can think. The dude must have been watching from afar while a staff member was behind the truck putting the trailer on. Soon as it was done being attached, said dude (aka asshole) opened the truck door and took off with everything. Our staff member was lucky to have gotten out from in between the tail gate and front of the trailer…Big wake up call for me, and your public service announcement of the day.”
In later correspondence, Cronin said they called the police right away, which dispatched a helicopter to look for the truck and trailer, but that police officials said the perpetrators likely took it into a warehouse within minutes, off the streets and out of view. Cronin says the truck and trailer are insured, but that “it sucks.”
Charles Conner, general manager of Paddlesports Retailer, said the tradeshow group has no official comment on the incident.
Regardless, some thieves in Oklahoma City have a trailer full of fish, rec and whitewater kayaks they now have to deal with. And hopefully the river karma gods will make sure they get what’s coming to them — especially if they try to sample their booty at the River Sports Whitewater Center. A thousand swims to the perps!
“It’s crazy to have had happen,” Cronin added. “I really thought it was joke. I mean, think of a Ford 350 and a 30-plus-foot container running a red light hauling ass.”
–Lead image courtesy of the Vail Games.
