Livingston Man Accused Of Stealing Trailer With Life Belongings From Three Military Families
STOCKTON (CBS13) — A Livingston Man is behind bars, accused of stealing a tractor-trailer filled with the belongings of three active military families on Christmas Day.
Michael Forward, 36, worked for the moving company that organized moving these military families. Rubin Jones with Stockton CHP said the tractor-trailer was filled with practically everything these three families owned.
Forward is now facing auto, car, and firearm theft, plus another felony charge for receiving stolen property.
Investigators say he was caught stealing a truck and a trailer from a truck yard off of Martin Luther King Boulevard in Stockton, on Christmas. The truck and trailer were later found in Manteca.
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Police say 90% of the stolen property was found inside Forward's home in Livingston including household items, microwaves, clothing, toys, and other basic necessities.
Forward is a mover by trade. CBS13 has learned he works for an independent contractor employed by United Van Lines. He was specifically assigned as a laborer on this job and went through a background check. Representatives say he was caught on camera on the day the truck was stolen from a secured lot.
"Just leave peoples' stuff alone. People work hard," said Jones.
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Outside the courtroom, Forward's Fiance spoke with CBS13 off-camera. She says her fiance is a good person and just snapped. She says he was angry about how he was being treated by his employer. She believes Forward was trying to give her kids a good Christmas after she was recently laid off.
Now investigators are looking to see if Forward targeted someone before this, and who else may have been involved in the heist.
Jones said, "No worse day than Christmas to steal from someone, and then you steal from a military family, no less."
Police are now asking for the public's help as they look for 14 firearms that were stolen from the military families.