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Woman wants thieves to know what they took

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BY LORI PILGER / Lincoln Journal Star

Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 11:56:12 pm CDT

They probably just looked like CDs to whoever stole them from Mary Kinney’s car.

Might bring a buck at a pawn shop.

But the case of CDs had belonged to her daughter, Meri.

Story Photo
Tips

Anyone with information about the theft from a red Dodge Neon at Southwood Apartments, 4401 S. 27th St., between 5 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Wednesday, can call Lincoln Police at 441-7204.

Kinney didn’t always care for Meri’s music, but on bad days she’d put a disc in and think of her daughter.

It meant something to her.

So, too, did the inch-long gold cross —the one Meri gave her for Mother’s Day.

It was too big for Kinney’s taste, so Meri had worn it. They both were mothers, so they could share it, she remembers Meri saying.

When Meri died in Lincoln Sept. 11, 2001, at the age of 26, she wore it in her casket.

She’d had diabetes. Her blood sugar couldn’t be controlled, her mother said. Her kidneys failed. She lost her eyesight, and she was bedridden at the end.

“She died at home with me watching.”

Kinney saved the cross after the service. She didn’t wear it, but kept it close to remind her of her only daughter, who would have been 33 this month.

Kinney tucked the cross away in her little red Dodge Neon.

“I felt like it was my own little angel.”

Just before 8 a.m. Wednesday, Kinney could tell something was wrong when she left her apartment at 4401 S. 27th St., for work at Haven Manor, where she’s the activities supervisor.

She’d left her car unlocked, thinking thieves would move on if they couldn’t see anything of value inside.

But when she opened its door, wires spilled from a hole where her stereo had been.

The visor was pulled down.

The CDs gone.

When Kinney talked to police, she hadn’t yet discovered the cross was missing, too.

An officer came out, lifted fingerprints from Kinney’s car and sympathized with her.

Thieves who steal from cars don’t think about what it means to the people they steal from, he told her.

Kinney would have preferred to find her car gone — and the cross and CDs left behind.

Now she hopes someone saw something that could help her get them back.

But she’s doubtful.

“I just want them to see what they did and what it meant,” Kinney said.

Maybe it will make them think before they do it again, she said.

“If it helps even one other person, then it was all worth it.”

Reach Lori Pilger at 473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com.


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Lisa wrote on May 22, 2008 8:13 am:
" I'm so sorry for your loss. People are cruel and irresponsible. I sure hope somehow that cross turns up again for you to keep that part of your daughter close to you. "

 Dano wrote on May 22, 2008 8:24 am:
" I hope that she gets the cros back. i know it very unliekly, but it would be nice. "

 BLM wrote on May 22, 2008 8:51 am:
" Mary, I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I know you have had a run of bad luck. I hope you precious things turn up..... "

 Not Like That wrote on May 22, 2008 8:53 am:
" Here's the thing: If they had any conscience at all, they wouldn't be ripping off other people's stuff in the first place. Never make the mistake of assuming that criminals are anything like normal people in their perception of right and wrong, because they aren't. Sadly, if they read the story, they'll probably just laugh about it before they go steal somebody else's stuff. "

 Hattie wrote on May 22, 2008 9:30 am:
" I would really appreciate it if when arrested and put into jail, they would do as some other parts of the world do. Cut off the hands so that they can never steal again. Think about it, its not barbaric when these thiefs did what they did, just the punishment. If we had more punishment like this, it would not happen very much. "

 duh wrote on May 22, 2008 9:47 am:
" lock your car!!!!!!!!!!! "

 Lock Your Doors wrote on May 22, 2008 9:53 am:
" Even if you think you don't have anything in your vehicle that they would want, LOCK YOUR DOORS because they don't care what it is. If they think they will get a buck for it they will steal it. This is a sad time for all of us. We can't trust that our property will be safe. Sorry to hear about your loss. May you be lucky enough to have it show up. "

 Good Will wrote on May 22, 2008 10:30 am:
" Sometimes it takes one thing to make a person stop making bad choices that hurt others. Maybe the person who stole your cross and cd's will hear how much these things meant to you and your tragic loss of you daughter. then they will think twice the next time they go to steal items from another persons vehicle. It may be your story that makes this person stop doing these things to others because they hear how it really impacted you. I am a social worker that works with offenders everyday and I can say that there is far more than what we all see. Sometimes it just takes something to make these horrible choices stop. Maybe Meri will touch these people today long after her death and they will change. I believe everything happens for a reason it may not be easy to see all the time but the reson is there. My prayers are with you and those who chose to make you a victim. I hope one day they will see their impact on people like you and know that his is not the right way to be. "

 Suzie wrote on May 22, 2008 10:33 am:
" Oh duh....locked cars only keep honest people out.
Mary,I'm so sorry for your loss. Maybe if they can read the paper they will see what pain it caused and return them to you. "

 momof wrote on May 22, 2008 10:40 am:
" Mary, what a heart breaking story. What a horrible loss to you.
Hey, "duh" so if she would have locked her doors, not only would her
stereo and memories been ripped off, she would have been paying a
huge deductible for her broken window. "

 pawn shops wrote on May 22, 2008 11:47 am:
" I'd be checking pawn shops lady. Good luck! "

 I feel for ya but... wrote on May 22, 2008 12:50 pm:
" I feel for your loss. Any time something is stolen from someone, it leaves the victim feeling helpless and violated. However, if this stuff had that much meaning, I wouldn't be leaving it in a car, locked or unlocked. For all you do-gooders that commented on the fact that you hope the criminals read this article, that's providing they can read, English or otherwise! Just remember, it's not just "criminals" robbing us. The government politicians are doing an awful good of it right out in the open!!! "

 That is terrible wrote on May 22, 2008 1:41 pm:
" It is too bad that people do such things. I too was a recent victim of thefts out of my vehicle. Apparently my things did not have "enough" value to LPD for them to do any fingerprinting or do anything other than send a very apathetic officer to take my complaint. "

 MJ wrote on May 22, 2008 1:54 pm:
" A thief is a thief, regardless of locked doors or not. 3 years ago, someone broke into my car (doors locked) and stole all of my scrapbooks and supplies. Those books meant the world to me. I"m sorry, Mary. I feel for you and your loss. "

 locked doors wrote on May 22, 2008 3:05 pm:
" Just because you lock your car doors, it doesn't mean it can't get broken into. My car WAS locked and guess what? They shattered my driver's side window to get in! They took 2 cheap coats, and left all of my CDs...guess they didn't like my taste in music! So the answer to preventing crime isn't always "lock your doors." If they want in, they'll find a way. Quit blaming the victim. "

 Albert wrote on May 22, 2008 3:26 pm:
" Locked car doors DO serve as a deterent. The story doesn't say if any other thefts were reported in the Southwood lots. Why WOULDN'T you lock your car doors? I'm sorry for the victim's loss, but hopefully this will help her realize not to leave valuables in an unlocked vehicle. I hope you get your stuff back. "

 People wrote on May 22, 2008 3:35 pm:
" This problem is bigger than just locked and unlocked cars. This economy is so bad that people are being driven to beg, borrow and yes, steal. Just to live. I know nothing justifies doing wrong, but our government needs to look at what's going on in the lives of everyday folks barely making enough to live on. In various job environments, you have people getting fired just because of how they look. No matter how they look, these people need to work and eat. "

 Curtis wrote on May 22, 2008 4:40 pm:
" Buy some new CDs and get a new cross. The magic that was in them was really in you and can not be stolen. "

 Lola wrote on May 22, 2008 4:40 pm:
" There are a lot of desperate people out there and desperate people do desperate things... My HOME was broken into about 2 years ago and the scum(s)that did that only took items belonging to my sons... they even took their shoes. Good thing - they went right to Gamers and pawned a lot of the stuff. Bad thing - I had to buy it back! Oh but Gamers was gracious enough to sell it back to me for what they bought it from the thiefs for. I tell ya... "

 Chris in Omaha wrote on May 22, 2008 4:50 pm:
" It is absurd to blame the economy for some idiot that would rather steal than work, as one poster here is trying to do. Even when the economy was booming there were still theifs that we all had to worry about. It's a lack of morality, not economics. If this wasn't the case, then the years of the great depression would have had a tremendous increase in crime, which it didn't.

And don't think for a moment that locked doors will solve the problem. I would rather leave my doors unlocked than have to go through the hassle of replacing a broken window. "

 Soft Targets wrote on May 22, 2008 6:02 pm:
" Correct, locked doors are a big theft deterrent, especially if you don't leave any swag (even cheap stuff) visible. Yes, this means amps and sub boxes too. No, putting a jacket over things doesn't fool a thief. You know that removable faceplate? Remove it and take it with you! Unlocked cars and locked cars that have visible swag inside are soft targets of opportunity for thieves. They're going to break into a car, so make yours less appealing that the next guy's car. Better him than you. "

 Confused wrote on May 23, 2008 12:38 am:
" People are being driven to beg, borrow and steal? Can anyone actually get a grip and stop blaming gas prices for everything? Here's a thought--live on a budget and don't spend what you don't have. I know it's a crazy, far-fetched responsible ideal, but by golly it just might work.

Sorry for your loss Mary, it's too bad that people have to do things like this. I've always maintained that in the end it all evens out. Not saying that retribution will make things better, but hopefully something really good happens to you because of this unfortunate act. "

 Faith Hope and Love wrote on May 23, 2008 11:21 am:
" Mary,

True sadness comes from this story. To think how proud Americans will do anything these days to try to get ahead. As you come to realize that it may be very unlikely you'll get your precious items back, their is a few things to remember.

True meaning of Cross and C.D.'s

It's not the physical cross that you loved so much. You remember the great memories of you and your daughter wearing it. You remember how wonderful it was of her to give it to you on Mother's Day, even though it was too much for you to wear. The cross to you felt as protection, like a guardian angel in your car, but the cross was nothing but an item that was purchased. The true treasure can never be stolen. Your daughter and your memories will always be with you, and never let them go or lock them away "

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