Michael Pedicone performs on day two of the Leeds Festival at Bramhall Park on August 27, in Leeds, England.

After less than a year, My Chemical Romance has fired drummer Michael Pedicone after he was “caught red handed stealing” from the band, according to the band’s website.

Guitarist Frank Iero posted the following:

Some shit happened last night and before the blogosphere gets all crazy with false statements and ridiculous opinions we want the true story to come from us… But please listen close because this is the only time we are ever going to talk about this. The relationship between My Chemical Romance and Michael Pedicone is over. He was caught red handed stealing from the band and confessed to police after our show last night in Auburn, Washington. We are heartbroken and sick to our stomachs over this entire situation. The band has no intention of pressing charges or taking this matter any further than we have to. We just want him out of our lives. The people who play in this band are a family, and family should not take advantage of each other like he did. We are currently moving forward, and hope to have a new drummer in place for our show in Salt Lake City, Utah. The show must go on.

It is not known what Pedicone allegedly stole.

“What happened is more complicated than it sounds but I did make a mistake. It was never my intention to hurt this band or all of you,” Pedicone Tweeted.

My Chemical Romance replaced Rob Bryar with Pedicone last year. Pedicone was replaced by Saturday night’s show in Utah with Dead Country’s Jarrod Alexander, who became the band’s de facto fourth drummer.

Timber thefts appear to be on the rise and losses in Mississippi alone were estimated to be $3 million over the last five years. Pictured: the aftermath of a timber theft (in this case, maple) in Washington State. (Courtesy of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources)

People are stealing timber for the same reasons they steal anything: to profit from someone else’s hard work. What makes timber thefts that much harder to stop is the fact that, most of the time, they occur in remote forested areas and loggers typically don’t have to document their sales as meticulously as other kinds of natural resource extraction. With the economy still in the doldrums, it’s not surprising that timber thefts appear to be on the rise, at least based on anecdotal evidence from around the country.

“Timber theft can range from a landowner cutting down a neighbor’s tree to loggers stealing hundreds or thousands of trees from private or public lands,” reports Lori Compas in the September/October 2010 issue of E Magazine. “Investigators say it’s difficult to calculate the exact number of trees lost to theft, but losses are estimated at $3 million over the last five years in Mississippi alone.” She cites one example there whereby a logger was arrested on three counts of timber theft after clearing some $375,000 worth of trees from land set aside to benefit local schools.

In some cases, thieves are targeting specific types of rare or expensive wood, such as the distinctively patterned birds-eye maple used in some high-end musical instruments. Since there’s no way to tell if the wood inside a maple tree will show the birds-eye pattern without cutting into it, thieves aren’t scared to damage or potentially kill a tree to find out. “We can see where they’ve notched trees [on state-owned forest land] to see if they have that desirable pattern,” says Larry Raedel, chief law enforcement officer for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. “When they find one that does, they cut down the entire tree and pack out a five- or six-foot section. They might make $300-$400 for a slab of birdseye.”

Of course, on the other end of the spectrum, more complex schemes involve unreported or falsified mill receipts. “For instance, a logger might have a legitimate contract to cut timber on a parcel of land, with the understanding that he will cut certain trees, take them to a sawmill, receive payment and pay the landowner a portion of the receipts,” reports Compas. “The trick is that he might take the logs to several different mills and only report the sales from one mill, pocketing the proceeds from the others.” In response to these more sophisticated tactics law enforcement is starting to step up efforts to catch timber thieves red-handed by the use of tracking paint, surveillance and hidden cameras. Oftentimes other loggers will even tip off local authorities about a rogue member of their industry perpetrating such crimes.

According to Tree Farmer magazine, legislatures and courts in various states are also starting to assign stiffer penalties for timber thefts. “Not only will actual or compensatory damages be awarded, but also, in the proper situations, swift and severe penalty awards and punitive damages will be handed down by the courts,” Tree Farmer reports. Unlike in the past, timber thieves today often must answer to civil trespassing charges along with larceny of natural resources—and may be expected to pay back not only the value of the stolen timber but also the cost of reforesting the site(s) in question. Timber thieves who haul their take out of state might also face federal charges for transporting stolen timber across state lines.

CONTACTS: E Magazine, www.emagazine.com/archive/5294; Washington State Department of Natural Resources, www.dnr.wa.gov; Tree Farmer, www.treefarmsystem.org/cms/pages/25_14.html.

A Jamaica Plain man maybe thought it would be a funny trick to steal a firefighter’s helmet from a firetruck while its crew was working on a call on Halloween night.

He will be treated to a night in jail and a few stitches at an area hospital.

At about 8 p.m. Sunday, Nicholas Duncan, 23, grabbed the helmet from Boston Fire Department Ladder 26, which was parked at Huntington Avenue and Fenwood Road at the base of Mission Hill, said Officer Eddy Chrispin, a spokesman for the Boston Police Department.

A witness ran up to a fire lieutenant and reported the theft. Firefighters called for police to respond and then drove down the road where they found a man who matched the suspect’s description sitting at a bus stop with two friends.

The firefighters approached the man asking about the missing helmet. The man reached into his backpack and produced the stolen helmet, handing it to the lieutenant.

Meanwhile, one of Duncan’s friends started yelling at the firefighters, pushing one in the chest.

Chrispin said that Duncan turned to run away, but smacked head-first into a pole at the bus stop.

Boston EMS treated Duncan, but Chrispin said he was “combative” with the responding medics. He was taken to an area hospital.

Duncan was charged with larceny from a motor vehicle. The friend, whose name was not released, will be summonsed to court for assault and battery on a firefighter, Chrispin said.

A 46-year-old Pawtucket woman was arrested in Braintree after going on a five-finger discount spree at the South Shore Plaza.

Michelle D. Rose faces larceny and stolen property charges after loss prevention officers at the Gap Kids store caught them trying to make off with goods from there and several other stores in the mall.

Rose and another woman walked into the Gap Kids store with several large shopping bags and starting taking products off the shelves and stuffing them into the bags, Braintree police said.

Rose tried to ditch her items after she noticed that she caught the security guard’s attention.

Both women were confronted outside the store and the unidentified woman first pushed a loss prevention officer and then punched her in the ribs before running off. The unidentified woman fled out the mall by Legal Seafood, and Rose fled the mall by the Cheesecake Factory. Loss prevention continued to follow Rose and notified police.

An arriving officer spotted her and immediately arrested her. Police searched her car and found two large trash bags full of clothes. The car was impounded and brought to the Braintree police station where a more thorough search was conducted.

Police found more clothes and items in the trunk.

Officers recovered clothing from the Express Store, Abercrombie and Fitch, Macy’s, Aeropostale, Gap Kids and Abercrombie Kids with a combined total of more than $3,000.

But the other woman apparently got away. Rose’s companion was neither apprehended nor identified.

Three young Boston women, ages 18, 21, and 17, face charges of receiving stolen property after they were found carrying merchandise stolen from several stores in the Braintree South Shore Plaza, police said.

A mall cop told police on Thursday that he watched the women, a fourth women, and a man, stealing from Hollister. Police caught up to the group in Macy’s after security told them they entered Hollister with empty bags and left with full ones.

Several security sensor tags were later discovered discarded on the floor inside the store.

Three of the women had shopping bags that were searched and found to contain stolen merchandise. One woman had $247 worth of merchandise from American Eagle and Hollister. A second woman had $218 worth of merchandise from Hot Topic, Hollister, Abercrombie and American Eagle and the third had $231 worth of merchandise from Hot Topic and Hollister.

They will be summonsed to court on multiple charges of receiving stolen property under $250.

No word on fashion police charges stemming from the blatant clashing of fashion styles.

The fourth woman wasn’t charged. The man, identified as Kalieshe A. Brown, 28, of Dorchester was arrested on an outstanding traffic warrant. When he was being booked he was discovered to be wearing two pairs of jeans — one of them was stolen from American Eagle.

As if Lindsay Lohan doesn’t have enough problems already, she’s now going to be questioned about a $400,000 jewel heist.

Lohan was the last person seen wearing the expensive Dior collection at a photo shoot for Elle magazine on June 6 in the U.K., People magazine reported today. Scotland Yard is investigating a number of people involved, but no other names have been released. Lohan’s rep told People that everyone is in fact being investigated, from the stylists to the photographers.

A spokeswoman for Elle U.K. released a statement saying, “I can confirm on behalf of Elle magazine, that items of jewelry went missing from an Elle photoshoot … and the matter is now being investigated by the police. Elle has no reason to believe that Lindsay Lohan was in any way responsible and has no further comment to make.”

So far, investigating Lohan seems to be a precaution. After all, why would someone so wealthy need to steal? Hopefully, Lindsay isn’t the next Winona.

The FBI is making car cloning — identify theft for automobiles — a top priority after a huge bust in Tampa netted 17 arrests and the breakup of a long-term car cloning enterprise.

“It’s a serious crime problem that’s being aggressively investigated by law enforcement,” the FBI said in a statement this week.

So how does this work? When your car gets stolen — FBI says it’s usually a luxury car or stacked SUV — the thief pries off the VIN number and replaces it with another number, the VIN number of a legitimate, non-stolen car with the same make, model and year but usually from a different state.

The thief also doctors up phony ownership documents that allow the vehicle to be easily registered somewhere else.

In the Tampa case, more than 1,000 cars were cloned and sold in 20 states with a $25 million loss to owners and insurers.

The tactic was highlighted on the USA Network television show “Burn Notice” recently.

If you buy a cloned car, and the police bust the thief and find you, they’ll take the car back. Then you’re out of luck.

Worse, if your legitimate car gets cloned, you could be the victim of parking tickets, toll violations, speeding, and other nasty offenses.

The good news is that a new national database may help get rid of car cloning.

“Enter NMVTIS, or the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System. This Department of Justice database, operated by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, is an electronic system that links state motor vehicle departments together “¦ and once fully operational should go a long way towards shutting down car cloning activities,” the FBI said. “If a car is titled in one state, a criminal should not be able to steal its VIN and use it on another vehicle in another state — the database will spit out a hit showing that the number is already in use.”

So far, 37 states participate or are in the process of participating in the system. A federal law mandated the creation of the database and the participation of all 50 states by next year.

How can you prevent cloning?

• If you think your car was cloned (for instance, you receive notice of unpaid parking tickets that aren’t yours), contact your local police.
• If you’re car shopping, beware of a car being sold for substantially less than comparable makes and models.
• Get a copy of the car’s vehicle history report.
• Check out the VIN plate on the dashboard for any evidence of tampering (scratches, etc.)
• Look for incorrect spellings on paperwork, like vehicle titles.
• Trust your intuition”"if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, last April, when tornadoes were threatening Jackson, Mississippi, many residents were not alerted to the severe weather because five tornado warning sirens didn’t work. The reason: the sirens’ copper wiring had been stolen.

A month before that, 4,000 Polk County, Fla. residents were powerless when thieves ripped copper wire right off an electrical transformer, costing $500,000 to replace.

These cases and others, according to authorities, combine to form a very real threat to national security and American infrastructure.

“More and more since 9/11, we’re using intelligence to get our arms around emerging threats at the national level-not just when it comes to terrorism, but also in the criminal arena,” the FBI said in a statement recently. A recent FBI criminal intelligence report outlines the situation. It concluded that:

• “The demand for copper from developing nations such as China and India is creating a robust international copper trade,” and as the global supply of copper continues to tighten, “the market for illicit copper will likely increase.” From 2001 until 2008, the price of the metal has increased by more than 500 percent.
• The thieves-many of whom are drug addicts or gang members-may act individually or as part of organized groups and are interested in the quick cash they get from selling copper to scrap metal dealers.
• Their targets include electrical substations, railroads, security and emergency services, and other sensitive sites. Already, copper thefts have been responsible for shutting down railway systems and even 9-1-1 emergency systems.

“On the surface, it could be a relatively small theft,” said one FBI agent who specializes in major theft crimes and who commissioned the report after getting wind of the problem, “but the public safety impact could be significant.”

While the thieves may just be looking for a quick score and not mean to compromise national infrastructure, that’s just what’s happening, and the Feds are looking to find them and wrap thee thieves up heavy federal charges that include jail time.

The government has set up task forces between local, state an federal law enforcement agencies to combat the copper problem, which is particularly heavy in Nevada, where one thief now faces 20 years in prison.