Man's Business Saved after Stolen Equipment Recovered

Steve Coley, owner of Coley Stump Grinding, has recovered his expensive stump grinder, trailer and some tools which were stolen on Dec. 29. The crooks' vehicle was captured on video, driving off with between $45,000 to $50,000 worth of equipment.

This is the only machine Coley has and needs it to stay in business and support his wife and three children.

"I want thank everyone who shared this story on Facebook. My family and I are very grateful for all the help," Coley said after notifying Patch of the recovery. "Over 3,000 people liked and shared the article. My machine and trailer were recovered this morning probably because the thieves knew it was being looked for by so many people.

"I walked into the recovery office in Bartow County and told them who I was and that I was there to get the stump grinder," he continued. "The owner said he was glad I got it back, he had seen the story on Facebook. I've never met this man in my life but he knew about the black Tahoe stealing it last week thanks to people passing the word! Last week I showed the picture to an employee at a storage lot asking if she had seen it. She said "I just saw it on 'The Patch;' another person I didn't know who had shared the story.

"People are awesome! It's a great community we live in that's willing to help a complete stranger," Coley said. "I can't thank you all enough! There's some damage to the trailer and grinder but they can be repaired for much less than it would cost to replace them both."

Related Douglasville Patch story:

Public's Help Needed: Identifying Vehicle Could Save Man's Business