Brian Koonce will have to give $1,000 and free hot dogs for a year to the Pea Ridge, Ark., farmer who reported his stolen trailer and hot dog cart to authorities.
Brian and his wife, Lori, learned Tuesday that their black, single-axle Rock Solid trailer and hot dog cart were found in Benton County, Ark., near the Pea Ridge Military Park.
A farmer discovered the trailer and the suspect's truck, stuck in the mud, Lori said. The farmer reported the information to the military park personnel, who reported it to the Benton County Sheriff's Office.
The trailer has some damage but the hot dog cart is intact, Lori said.
The trailer and the hot dog cart went missing from the Jane Walmart parking lot on Monday, Jan. 6. During those stressful five weeks, he and Lori worked a great number of leads, spreading the word and tracking any new discoveries. Lori drove around for hours, Brian said. All leads were relayed to the McDonald County Sheriff's Office and the couple worked with investigators to try to flesh out information and find the culprit.
As part of his promotional efforts, Brian committed to pay $1,000 and give free hot dogs for a year to the person who could find the party responsible for stealing his trailer and hot dog cart.
Brian is glad his dream of owning his own business didn't die. Though he's glad the trailer and cart are returned, he's amazed that someone would take his trailer in broad daylight.
"We got it right before Christmas and I didn't have time to get the license," Brian said. "We got busy with Christmas."
Before having the trailer returned, Brian considered filing bankruptcy. "I can't see paying $11,000 on stuff I don't have," he said on Monday night before the property was discovered.
The couple thought the trailer was insured. Though the larger trailer was not tagged, it sports the VIN number inside, Lori said.
Brian estimates he was in Walmart that afternoon for about an hour during the daytime hours. The suspect unhooked the trailer from the owner's vehicle, pushed it around and connected the trailer to his vehicle. The truck is a two-tone, red/gray older Dodge pick up, according to the McDonald County Sheriff's Office.
Walmart pulled the footage from that day and still photos created from the video. Information was not gathered on the suspect's tags.
The Koonces are in disbelief that a thief would simply unhook the trailer from Brian's truck and take off.
Brian is a Navy veteran and had recently retired from a 20-year truck driving career. His goal is to sell hot dogs for a living. "This was my dream for three years," he said.
He retired in September from truck driving and researched different food service options. He aspires to have a food truck and thought it would be easier to start with a hot dog cart.
The couple received approval from the Health Department in November and had only set up the trailer twice at Discount Smokes near the stateline. Brian also set up his hot dog cart at the Noel Christmas parade festivities.
Just last week, however, when his financial situation looked dismal, the self-taught cook returned to a truck driving job again to make a living.
Brian describes the hot dog cart as "the Cadillac of hot dog carts." The hot dog trailer features a grill, deep fryer, flat-top griddle, four sinks and steam pans so he could sell delicious hot dogs and tacos as part of his business he dubbed, "Rednexican Catering."
The trailer was fully equipped and the Koonces were preparing to launch the hot dog cart again after the Christmas season.
Lori says the hot dog cart was purchased in November and had tags. The couple didn't put the tags on because the hot dog cart was housed in the bigger trailer.
The trailer was purchased on Dec. 9 and with the holidays, the couple "wasn't super pressed to tag it," Lori said.
"We hadn't even made our first payment on the trailer," Lori said. "Our dream was kind of taken from us."
Payments for the trailer and the hot dog cart exceed $450 a month. Brian, who established the business in his name only, considered filing bankruptcy at one point.
A friend established a Go-Fund account but took it down later after people said they didn't want to pay extra fees to that company to donate to the Koonces.
Now that the trailer and hot dog cart were discovered, Brian still hopes to sell hot dogs, tacos and lemonade near the river this summer.
Lori is grateful for the outcome. She had hoped that the property would be returned and that her husband could resume his dream.
"I want my husband to do what he wanted to do in the first place."
General News on 02/13/2020