Deputies responded to several complaints at Great Space Storage in Bonita Springs Wednesday, after thieves broke into two storage trailers kept at the facility on Bonita Beach Road.
A report by the Lee County Sheriff's Office says that the lock had been forced open on one of the trailers, and that bandits got away with $5,000 worth of tools.
The lock on another trailer was found to be cut through. The trailer's owner reported that over $2,500 worth of construction items were missing.
The crimes are the latest in what appears to be a trend. Earlier this week, several Naples businesses told Fox 4 that thieves had been stealing tools from their storage trailers - in one case, even taking the trailer itself.
"Without that, I can't get my product to the job site, nor can I get it installed," said Kevin Sperry of Atlantic West Molding and Millwork on Tuesday.
Bob Unger of Gatekeepers Access Control Systems, a Bonita Springs security systems company, said that some businesses who rely on storage trailers - and the gear inside them - are starting to invest in battery-powered surveillance cameras.
"We've had some landscapers buy cameras and stick it in their trailers," Unger said. "Because (the thieves) are bold. They'll walk in the trailer while (landscapers) are mowing somebody's yard and steal tools out of there."
Several vehicles were also found to be damaged at Great Space Storage. The sheriff's office report indicated that it appeared at least one of them was damaged in an unsuccessful attempt to break into it.
