Was this stealing?

[NHNSP_ADMIN]

Here

Being an IT guy we often have equipment in our vehicles because we travel site to site.
When I left my last job I had equipment in my trunk. Few keyboards, network cables, and broken printer. (I estimate $100 )
I didn't know that I had it in there when I left. Once I noticed it I called the company and asked if they wanted their stuff back.
The person I spoke to said no and I 'donated' them to people who could use the equipment

I have been honest and listed this as a past theft, should I be listing it since the company said they didn't want the stuff back? Should i send them a check or donate $100 back to them (they are a non-profit)

Thanks!

[SgtCHP]

As long as you did not have the intent to rightfully deprive the original owner of the property, it is not theft. You made a valid, good faith effort to make contact and offer to return them and was told NO! You are absolved of any misgivings.

BTW, do you recall who said you did not have to return them? Was that person a person who had the authority to tell you that? If it should ever come up be certain to offer that persons name.

[Twoisone]

Here

Being an IT guy we often have equipment in our vehicles because we travel site to site.
When I left my last job I had equipment in my trunk. Few keyboards, network cables, and broken printer. (I estimate $100 )
I didn't know that I had it in there when I left. Once I noticed it I called the company and asked if they wanted their stuff back.
The person I spoke to said no and I 'donated' them to people who could use the equipment

I have been honest and listed this as a past theft, should I be listing it since the company said they didn't want the stuff back? Should i send them a check or donate $100 back to them (they are a non-profit)

Thanks!

As SgtCHP posted, if the person who said you could keep the equipment had the authority to do so, you did not commit theft. Further, your due diligence in trying to return the equipment strengthens your case.

[PhilipCal]

To say once more. "You did not commit a theft" While we constantly recommend honesty, never admit to a crime/offense you didn't commit.

[crass cop]

why did you call them to ask if they wanted it instead of "I somehow ended up with your computer stuff and am bringing it back now"...or did that precede the "do you want your stuff back"?
why did you forget it was in your vehicle?
...sorry, just cop questions....BUT if they said you could have it then youre good to go

[Dugjar0311]

similar topic, different situation. I'll start off that I am a Marine who is applying to be in LE. When I was in Iraq, the army unit that turned their humvees over to us was long long gone, and left an obsolete flak jacket in there. I found it in my humvee, and with no unit to turn it over to, decided to keep it as a souvenir, and when I got back stateside, to use as personal PPE during training and such. I have no desire to sell it for money, but use it for work purposes, even though technically it isn't signed out to me. Is this stealing? on the same note, at work I kept a box of old MREs to take home, just in case an emergency breaks out to feed my wife and myself. Is that considered stealing??

[crass cop]

I would say the flak jacket is "stealing"....its not yours, it's Uncle Sams. Unless you turned it in and was told you could keep it because its obsolete that could cause problems, I would think, for you.
just my opinion.

I assume you were issued or given the MREs, so they are yours, but I would think to be used in "service" as a Marine...BUT if the feces hits the oscillator and your family is starving, I would think it wouldnt be a problem, mostly because theyre yours, (issued or a buddy gave you his)

[Dugjar0311]

the thing is though that I am not out of the corps and i intend to stay in the reserves after my active duty contract expires......i want to use the flak jacket for training whenever im in the field because I haven't been issued one, but at the same time PART of me kind of feels guilty, but I am not sure since I have seen so much stuff thrown away. There were marines throwing obsolete gear into burn pits overseas, so my consceience tells me its uncle sam's, but on the other hand, who is it say if I didnt hold on to it, it would have been thrown away? One of the biggest things I have learned in my short 4 1/2 years in is that the military is VERY VERY wasteful, I have seen perfectly good SAPI plates marked to be thrown away. So I am really unsure to be honest as to if I am considered a "thief".

[crass cop]

I agree with the wasteful comment....I mean, look at all those Army SURPLUS stores!!!

[just joe]

I thought everyone in the military kept stuff.

As far as the original poster, no, it is not theft. You told them you had it and they told you they didn't want it. It's that simple.

[Michigan]

As long as you did not have the intent to rightfully deprive the original owner of the property, it is not theft. You made a valid, good faith effort to make contact and offer to return them and was told NO! You are absolved of any misgivings.

BTW, do you recall who said you did not have to return them? Was that person a person who had the authority to tell you that? If it should ever come up be certain to offer that persons name.

^Yup^

[Michigan]

similar topic, different situation. I'll start off that I am a Marine who is applying to be in LE. When I was in Iraq, the army unit that turned their humvees over to us was long long gone, and left an obsolete flak jacket in there. I found it in my humvee, and with no unit to turn it over to, decided to keep it as a souvenir, and when I got back stateside, to use as personal PPE during training and such. I have no desire to sell it for money, but use it for work purposes, even though technically it isn't signed out to me. Is this stealing? on the same note, at work I kept a box of old MREs to take home, just in case an emergency breaks out to feed my wife and myself. Is that considered stealing??

I would conisder it stealing. However, if anybody has a problem with it, I would tell them to do a tour in Iraq and then see if a jacket and some food is too much compensation.

[Dugjar0311]

yeah, well now that I think about it I forgot about when they docked my pay for about a month charging me for MREs I never ate, they charge you 5 dollars per MRE so 15 dollars per day, which I think is retarded to begin with, even though I didnt eat more than 1 MRE a day, so I dont feel as bad about that. On another note I use the flak jacket for training purposes, and at the time I didnt intend on keeping it, but now they have released new models of the body armor and the one I kept would just get thrown away anyhow. Im just worried about this coming up in a polygraph test, and it makes me mad to think some other dirtbags who have never done anything worthwhile in their life could get a job over me because I kept body armor I found in Iraq. I find it ironic because in the Marine Corps (at least the Infantry) we are always taught that "Gear adrift is a gift" and that steal means (Strategically transporting equipment to another location" and if no one marks their name on that piece of gear, it is free game for you to keep, since whoever had it before and lost it would have to pay the govt back for it anyways. The jackets are not serialized, so there is no way to tell who's it is if they didn't put their name on it. I guess maybe it depends on who you ask to the morality of it, if it is considered a victimless crime in this case. In Iraq we would stop at bases, and sometimes would get the supplies we needed denied to us, so our platoon would literally have to steal equipment from the Army's supply boxes and such to keep our vehicles running and mission ready. I guess when you have danger all around you stuff like that is really asinine.

[nonickname69]

How can you steal it if you legally had it in your possession then you tried to return it and they didn't want it back?