Honor After All: Man Settles Up For Corn Taken From Farmer

January 4, 2018

UPDATE 1/4/2018 10:15 a.m. — Walnut Hill farmer Wes Eicher says it turns out there is good in the world after all.  He said that after the photos and video in this story went public, the pictured man’s boss paid up for the stolen corn. And he even paid extra which Eicher is donating to a local charity. The man will be stopping by later to apologize. Eicher said he was told the man had been involved in an argument on the phone and simply forgot to pay for the corn.  Eicher is dropping his complaint with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and no charges will be fled.

PREVIOUS STORY:

Just before 6 p.m. Tuesday, the man pulls up the farmer’s roadside location on South Highway 99 near Eicher Road. He appears to check  sales bin near the road and find it to be empty. He then pulls his Dodge Ram 1500 pickup up to the building and steals the final four remaining 50 pound bags of deer corn from a pallet. He leaves without making payment in an honor box.

Anyone with information on the theft is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.

The complete surveillance video is at the bottom of this page. Note that the video date is incorrect; the theft occurred January 2.

Images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.


Comments

19 Responses to “Honor After All: Man Settles Up For Corn Taken From Farmer”

  1. Kay on January 7th, 2018 2:58 am

    Amazing story here! Sadly our community has missed it! Now it’s not right to take someone’s property! I agree! This guy got his shame by being posted public! We are always quick to judge someone! Agreed again he should have been more careful if truly a accident! We come from a Christian community here in our area! This farmer showed a true example! He could have been bitter and judged. We all have made a mistake. I’ve been in a hurry and paid for gas and drove off and left it. Not the fault of the Store. Our moral here is that we should learn. No one is perfect we shouldn’t always jump to conclusions until we have checked into things first. God knows what you do you can’t hide it from him! But being a Christian we should show a better side! The farmer let it be paid for to make it right! We ask God to forgive us when we are wrong! He does everytime! Yes he could have went to jail behind this but think for a minute. It was paid for and now the guy should truly go apologize for his actions. Had a charge been applied here yes he would have went to jail. Yes if he doesn’t bond out then the tax payers can feed him and support him for a little bit. The police would have first had to find him wasting time and money on this when they could actually been out finding a missing child or going on a call of domestic violence occurring. It of course isn’t right he didn’t pay yes again it’s a crime. But sometimes we should get a second chance to make it right. The farmer I think made a great decision here. Hopefully we start thinking more like Christians in our matters. If this guy is doing wrong in life he will soon be revealed. God has a way of working it all out. This farmer will be so blessed by this in the long run. I’m just so surprised by the actions of our community here. We are quick to throw stones at someone but it actually says in the Bible that he without sin cast the first stone. Now I am not blaming anyone here I am just saying I think we all missed the moral of this story here. So glad it was worked out and hopefully we can all learn from it. God bless you all.

  2. Willis on January 4th, 2018 4:54 pm

    Funny how a picture a video and a mad boss will make an honest man out of you.

  3. Patriot on January 4th, 2018 4:33 pm

    “Honor after all”?? I don’t think so. There’s NO honor in apologizing and paying after getting caught. He’s still a thief and a liar who can’t be trusted.

  4. fred on January 4th, 2018 11:36 am

    I’m happy to hear that it was made right, although I’m not buying the “he forgot” excuse. I’d like to hear the update when/if he actually shows up to apologize. Kudos to his boss for apparently applying the leverage on him.

  5. Kat on January 4th, 2018 10:42 am

    Glad he paid up and admitted his mistake. Sometimes, especially in cases like this, we need to not jump to conclusions. We used to have people send us checks in the mail for our Pumpkin Patch because they stopped when we weren’t there. I’m quite certain that occasionally someone would forget to pay but it’s not life or death and eventually they would feel that conviction and hopefully make it right. People make mistakes…we shouldn’t lord it over them. If they actually are thieves, they’re going to get what’s coming to them. I got an ex-husband making it his life’s mission to avoid paying his court ordered child support. He owes me over $27,000. He is actively stealing what rightfully belongs to our children. You wanna get up in arms about something….there ya go.

  6. Mike on January 4th, 2018 8:51 am

    What a loser

  7. Missy on January 4th, 2018 8:45 am

    I wonder if this is the same person who drove up to the vegetable stand on hwy 97 and stole veggies and money from the drop box?? What trash…

  8. fred on January 4th, 2018 8:38 am

    This guy and his truck should be fairly easy to recognize. The truck has lighter color body cladding, an odd color gas tank cover, and looks like he’s got some primer or other lighter color spray paint on the left rear near the bumper. His face is pretty clear, so someone should be able to recognize him and come forward with information. Four bags of corn isn’t a huge crime, but it is an assault on the way of life in agricultural communities where farmers have roadside stands.

  9. jml on January 4th, 2018 8:06 am

    Mr. Eicher and Wesley are hard working good people. People that do this are scum and i hope they get caught. I would hate it, but I wouldn’t blame them if they quit the honor system. I wish he had a cam set to get the perps license plate.

  10. retired on January 4th, 2018 7:54 am

    no one said he was smart, sign on side of stand says “video in progress”

  11. NWFLAFOB on January 4th, 2018 7:49 am

    We usually buy corn from the farmer’s location on Hwy 97. I have always stood there in front of the cameras, waving around each five dollar bill so it gets recorded that I’m paying. While doing so, though, I’ve laughed because I know I look like an idiot and wonder if the camera is even working! My husband went to the Hwy 99 location yesterday to buy corn because the trailer on 97 was empty. Glad this crook was driving a crew cab because hubby has a similar model truck but not same cab configuration. And, he PAID FOR four bags of corn! Hope someone recognizes the thief and reports him. He kinda looks like the guy from a few weeks ago who stole from another farm stand in Walnut Hill – I think that guy had a tattoo that showed up on his glamor shot.

  12. Jcellops on January 4th, 2018 7:32 am

    Gas cover isn’t the same color as the truck- maybe a replacement? Jan 2nd was Tuesday, garbage day for some folks. Perhaps, with the looks of that stuff in the bed of the truck, he was out scavenging before garbage pick-up. My money is on a young, skinny, male thief with no butt – and, no morals.

  13. Gary on January 4th, 2018 6:58 am

    The thief looks like a skinny weak long haired male who was not taught not to steal. Another thug who should be in jail.

  14. Trocarman on January 4th, 2018 6:51 am

    Hope this thug is arrested. Hope too the judge will put this low life in jail…no probation, no community service. Prison only. Confiscate the truck too.

  15. Tabby on January 4th, 2018 5:10 am

    That’s no woman. Sad the farmer was forced to put up cameras. Heck, he’s had this happen a few times even with cameras. Sad. This is the type of thing that influences people to change their behavior. My husband asked me why I’m surprised, saying the days of a word and handshake are over. Idk, I just wanna think folks still have decency in them.

  16. M in Bratt on January 4th, 2018 4:47 am

    seems like getting a JOB would be easier.

  17. Howie on January 4th, 2018 2:30 am

    Woman or man, they have saggy butt pants on. With no butt. Probably a longer haired male. Skinny and weak in strength – did you see the slight struggle to pick up the bag of corn. A strong man would have no problem with that.

    Dodge pickup and toolbox on back.

  18. Ct on January 4th, 2018 2:29 am

    Looks like the same guy that was on here a few weeks ago doing the same thing at a vegetable Stand?

  19. jmo on January 4th, 2018 12:51 am

    Looks like a woman