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Texas Man Posts Fake Craigslist Ad Giving Away Neighbor's Stuff

by Terrence O'Brien on May 6, 2009 at 09:10 AM


We've heard some horror stories from the land of Craigslist, including stories of libel, murder and Nigerian scammers, yet we were shocked to hear the tale of Sherry Johnson Huwitt, a woman from Mansfield, Texas who, without her consent, had her basketball goal and tetherball pole given away by a neighbor on Craigslist.

One early morning in April, Huwitt was standing in her kitchen, looking out into her yard when she saw two men get out of a van and begin to load her basketball goal into it. She went outside to confront the two men, who told her they weren't stealing it -- that it had been offered for free on Craigslist. Later, Huwitt would tell the Dallas Morning News that she had never even heard of the site.



The ad in question, which has been removed from Craigslist, read:
Free basket ball goal and tether ball pole. At dead end of roadway beside my home...(address) dont knock its placed out there for you to come get. will delete when gone. thanks.
Turns out, the listing was posted by a neighbor, Chad Lee Hickey, who also happens to be a police officer in the nearby town of Arlington (This is beginning to sound like a Texan 'Lakeview Terrace.').

Although the incident was reported to police (as well as to Craigslist), experts aren't sure what, if any, charges could be brought against Hickey. The matter, which appears to have originated as a dispute over "junk" in the Huwitts' yard, will likely have to be settled in a civil court.

The incident is reminiscent of a similar unrequested neighbor giveaway in Oregon last year, which just reminds us to continue to be of suspicious of free, curbside offerings on Craigslist. [From: Dallas Morning News, Via: Consumerist]

Tags: con, craigslist, hoaxes, scam, top

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