In the words of Sgt. Joe Friday,
“This is the City, the City…” Cramerton.
OK, old Joe was in LA, but this is the story of a big crime that came to
a small town.
Cramerton is a former mill
village located between Charlotte and Gastonia. It was so named for Stuart Cramer, a textile architect and
engineer who developed the first air conditioning system for a textile
mill. Like most mill towns in the area
it is transitioning from blue collar to upscale as Charlotte commuters move
into the area. For a history of the
town, visit www.cramerton.org
How does this bland little town
figure into a crime you might ask? Well
in 1997, Loomis Fargo employee David Ghantt spent one evening cleaning out the
vault to the tune of $17 million. Like
a good crook Ghantt fled to Mexico until the heat was off, unfortunately for
him, his confederates started spending the loot, to use the words of Marvin
Webster from the John Billy & Billy Show (preview
wma, preview
real, preview
itunes), “like HSN on crack.” Vehicles,
jewelry, furniture, and even boob jobs were purchased. Gang leader Steve Chambers made the most
lavish purchase, a $600K home in a gated golf-course community located on the
former mountaintop home of Stuart Cramer.
See how this ties in. Chambers
and his wife Michele moved from a mobile home in Lincoln Co. to their new digs,
which they promptly accessorized with a velvet Elvis and tiger-stripe stair
runner. Meanwhile while Ghantt was
wasting a way in Mexico, marked for murder by the group. The FBI finally cracked the case and
arrested all involved. Most of the
money was recovered (some was re-stolen from the “gang that couldn’t spend
straight” by other relatives), but close to $1M was lost. For a great history of the case see, Heist!
The 17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft by Jeff Diamant.
In honor of these crooks I
present to you the LOOMIS FARGO HEIST CACHE.
This is my first cache so I ask your patience with it. No, I’m not a friend of the gang (so don’t
go looking for any of the $$$ still missing here), just a broke teacher. However, most everything in the cache
symbolizes an aspect of the caper.
The initial contents include:
COMIC BOOK, EAGLES CD’S, SEA
SHELL from Mexico, & a M&M’s Christmas ornament for David Ghantt’s
hideout in Mexico.
4 HOT WHEELS CARS for all the
vehicles bought with the loot.
BREAST
CANCER AWARENESS PIN for all the boobs, both real and implanted, involved
in this case (and in honor of my wife who is a BC survivor).
WHERE’S GEORGE DOLLAR so you can track
the loot like the FBI
PHOTO of ELVIS
PRESLEY & RICHARD NIXON for the velvet Elvis in the Chambers’ Cramer
Mountain home (knowing the history behind this particular picture once won me
$19,000 on JEOPARDY!)
CHUCK E. CHEESE TOKEN so you can go hit
the skee ball like you are Steve Chambers on a gambling spree in Atlantic City.
CD’s with John Boy and Billy’s
Marvin Webster giving his take on the Loomis Caper (1 is audio, the other is
data).
Two AA batteries.
Bottle of water.
The cache is in a shoe box sized
Tupperware. Since the Cramer Mountain Country Club is a
gated community, the cache is hidden on the former Lakewood Golf Course. Lakewood was closed for, you guessed it,
residential development. Parking can be
had near the old clubhouse off Lakewood Rd. or at the bank (how ironic) that
now occupies part of the course.
While you are in town check out
these other sites:
The entrance to Cramer Mountain. You need a permit to actually access the
development to see the heist-bought house.
N 35 13.737, W 081 04.508
Also, Old Cramerton High School,
Eighth Ave., slated for condo redevelopment, the gym out back is now the town
recreation department, the football field below it (where my dad played) is now
a walking trail. Note the inscription
Mayworth (original name of the town before Cramer bought the mill) above the
door. N 35 14.440, W 081 04.507
Cramerton Town Hall, 155 N. Main
St, note the Mays Mills logo (original name of the mill before Cramer) above
what is now the back door to town hall.
N 35 14.113, W 081 04.290
Mayflower Meadows subdivision,
located on the site of the former Mayflower Mill. N 35 14.351, W 081 04.634