Police unable to help aluminum plant workers with ID theft fears

Former employees of aluminum manufacturing firm Indalex are worried about becoming identity theft victims because their personal information is still inside the company's abandoned plant, KXTV reports. Indalex was shut down in 2008. However, the property owner has been M.I.A since - it's suspected he's now working at a company in Sweden - leaving the county in a unique situation. According to the Modesto Bee, there are still computers, financial documents and barrels filled with toxic chemicals inside that county officials can't gain access to because of the owner's disappearance. One of the major fears former employees have is that scavengers may find their way into the building, access personal documents and use them for malicious purposes. "The sheriff needs to arrest these people (scrap strippers), but he won't do it," one former employee told KXTV. However, sheriff Adam Christianson says his hands are tied. "The victim is the property owner - I can't arrest someone for a crime if there is no victim," Christianson explained to the media outlet. According to the Bee, county officials will be meeting this week to discuss what can be done about the nine-acre complex.