A Clearwater man said thieves stole his lawn care businesses from his own front yard.
Thomas Vieira said the thieves stole his truck, trailer, lawn equipment, and other items around 10 a.m. Thursday. Vieira admitted he left the keys in the ignition to grab his coffee and when he walked back outside everything was gone.
"I looked down the street at this intersection and there it was,” Vieira said.
He said his 2010 silver GMC Sierra with the black trailer attached to it was near the intersection of Nursery Road and Keene.
"I chased him down and then he took off and I said to a gentleman behind him please follow that truck (because) he stole my lawn service,” Vieira said.
Vieira believes he is down about $40,000 today.
"It's just like everything I worked hard for, you know, my whole life,” Vieira said.
Vieira purchased some lawn care equipment to get him by for now because he has about 70 clients in Pinellas County.
"We're not rich by any means, but we do get by and it's hard to get by when you take something like that from us,” his wife, Rita, said.
Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the theft.
"We've lived here since 1998 and he's had this business since we've lived here and nothing like this has every happened,” Rita Vieira said.
