14 DAY TRIAL // As annoying as this might be, the fact of the matter is that some people have a knack for taking things that aren't theirs. Then again, having somebody steal a bridge sounds very much like a Hollywood sort of scenario.
Still, it appears that such incidents can happen in real life. In fact, it was earlier this week that a man in the US contacted the police and told them that somebody had stolen a pretty impressive bridge on his property.
The good news is that, just yesterday, officers managed to locate the bridge and reunite it with its rightful owner. On the downside, it appears that authorities are yet to figure out how the structure was stolen and who is was that pulled this news-worthy stunt.
That awkward moment when you realize you're missing a bridge
Information shared with the public by the police officers handling this case says that it was this past Wednesday that, while inspecting his property in the city of Farmington Hills in Michigan, a man named Robert Cortis realized that he was one bridge short.
The man immediately contacted authorities, and soon enough, an investigation was launched. Officers were told that the bridge was made of wood and steel, measured 40 feet (a little over 12 meters) in length and weighed 5,000 to 10,000 pounds (2,300 to 4,500 kilograms).
Robert Cortis explained that the bridge had been built by his father and an uncle in the 1980s. Hence, the man got terribly upset when he realized it was missing. “I was clueless and totally freaked out. Devastated,” the main said, as cited by The Detroit News.
The man further detailed that the structure was worth some $50,000 to $75,000 (€40,500 to €60,800). What's interesting is that Robert Cortis only figured out the bridge was missing because he dropped by to inspect it and see whether he could use it as a setting for wedding photos.
Luckily, it didn't take officers too long to find the bridge
It is understood that Robert Cortis' bridge was found just yesterday in the city of Belleville, at a distance of just 20 miles (32 kilometers) south from its former location. For the time being, officers are clueless about how it was that it ended up in this location.
Robert Cortis says that, even if the police manage to find the people who took his bridge away from him, chances are that he will choose not to file charges against them. Apparently, the man only wanted to get his bridge back and does not care all that much about retribution.
“That bridge was apparently taken without his permission but it would require an actual victim to seek criminal charges and he has made it clear he’s not concerned so much about prosecution, just getting his bridge back,” said Police Cmdr. Matt Koehn.
