Author Archives: LeadsOnline

Oklahoma detective finds gun stolen four years ago in gun store burglary; ATF recovers gun

“Detective Robert Whittington was given a LeadsOnline tip in reference to a stolen firearm that was located at a pawnshop in Lawton, Oklahoma. The stolen rifle was reported stolen out of Shawnee Oklahoma four years earlier. I made contact with the individual who sold the gun, who advised that he purchased the rifle around four years ago at a gun show and did not have his paperwork showing it. Sherman is in the military and stated he has never been to Shawnee, Oklahoma. I contacted ATF, who advised that a gun store in Shawnee had been broken into, and that the gun was one of many stolen. He advised that ATF would collect the gun from the pawnshop.”

Lt. William Grimes
Lawton Police Department
Oklahoma

Bowling Green police detective solves 15 year old stolen gun case 300 miles away using LeadsOnline

“I was checking my local pawn shop and I checked the possible NCIC hits on guns. I started to investigate some of the possible hits and this is what happened to a hand gun. A .380 semi auto pistol was sold to my local pawnshop. LeadsOnline matched it with a possible stolen gun hit from 15 years ago out of Bollinger County Missouri Sheriff’s Office. This county is about 300 miles from my location. I made contact with the reporting agency and they were able to locate the original report where this gun was reported as “lost or stolen”. The reporting party reported that his pistol had been stolen or it was washed away in flood water. To our surprise this “stolen or missing” gun was sold to my local pawn shop by the reporting party’s ex wife after all of these years. In less than an hour this 1997 case was solved with the assistance of Leads Online.”

Det. Jeff Kaufman
Bowling Green Police Department
Missouri

Stolen gun found five years after theft

“I was alerted to a hit on LeadsOnline concerning a stolen handgun. This handgun was stolen out of a vehicle in May, 2008. Using LeadsOnline I was able to clear the suspect that had sold the handgun, and then I tracked it back to a pawn ticket from August, 2011. This ticket gave me a suspect who confessed to having the gun in his possession illegally. I was able to make an arrest this suspect.”

Inv. Gary Gilley
Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office
Louisiana

Birmingham Police locate a stolen gun

“While searching LeadsOnline for stolen property, I discovered a Taurus .40 Cal handgun that was reported stolen during an incident in the Birmingham West Precinct area. There had been no leads in this case until now. All of the pawn information has been given to the investigating detective.”

Det. Eric Grimes
Birmingham Police Department
Alabama

Texas police recover stolen handgun a year after crime

“Just a note to let you know another stolen handgun was located through LeadsOnline. A handgun was pawned in a city neighboring Beaumont, and I received a hit from LeadsOnline. The weapon had been stolen a year and eight days prior to it being pawned. The stolen property has been recovered. Thank you very much!”

Det. Darleen Wisby
Beaumont Police Department
Texas

Automated hit locates stolen firearm in Louisiana

“Here’s one for ya… A nearby police agency accidentally entered an incorrect serial number for a stolen firearm into NCIC. A five was mistaken for an “S”. When the firearm was pawned in our jurisdiction, the pawn shop owner made the same mistake. Thus, a hit was indicated on the firearm. Original reports and observations corrected the error. The firearm was recovered and returned. Bad guy went to jail.”

Det. Paul Blunschi
West Monroe Police Department
Louisiana

LeadsOnline leads Georgia Sheriff’s Office to recover stolen guns a year after theft

“I was assigned a burglary case with firearms missing prior to our agency using LeadsOnline. A few months after it was purchased, I pulled this particular report and searched the serial number of one of the firearms. Well, needless to say, a year after the burglary was reported, with the help of LeadsOnline, the Pike County Sheriff’s Office was able to successfully recover both firearms and return them to the rightful owner and get a warrant on the guy who pawned them. Without LeadsOnline I do not think recovery of the firearms would have been possible. Thank you Leads Online!”

Inv. Natasha Horner
Pike County Sheriff’s Office
Georgia

Guns stolen from pawn shop “grab and go” recovered and lead to closure of other burglaries

“While conducting my daily check of LeadsOnline reports, I noticed a potential hit for a stolen handgun. I also noticed that this handgun was reported to the Sheriff’s Office as being stolen from another pawn shop three days prior. I found that the suspect is also convicted felon. News reported that two subjects did a “grab and go” theft at a gun store, stealing an AR-15. The suspect pawned this stolen rifle at a pawn shop three hours after the theft. I recovered both weapons, and both suspects have been charged in federal court for being felons in possession of firearms and theft from an FFL. During the interviews, several unsolved robberies and burglaries were solved, just based off of a stolen firearm being pawned. Thanks LeadsOnline!”

Det. J.F. Taylor
Charleston Police Department
West Virginia

NCIC hit recovers firearm stolen a year prior

“I received an email update on possible NCIC hits from you guys. When I logged on and began checking, I found one of the pawned items matched with a weapon that had been reported stolen a year ago in our county. I was able to locate the original report and contact the investigator assigned to it, and he was able to follow up on the case. There are many times we do not have good leads on stolen property. Leads Online is a great tool to locate items that have been reported stolen.”

Det. Greg Horton
Desoto County Sheriff’s Office
Mississippi

Shotgun stolen in Missouri found in Arkansas

“We received a report of a stolen shotgun. The issue was that it was stolen three and a half years before anyone noticed it being gone. However, I ran a check and thanks to LeadsOnline, within 15 minutes I was able to locate where the firearm had been bought and sold by the suspect in Arkansas. Unfortunately, the case was past the statutes of limitations for criminal prosecution, but the victim still has a civil recourse.”

Det. Sgt.Larry Jones
Stone County Sheriff’s Office
Missouri

All in the family: Police recover property stolen by victim’s daughter

“I had a case in which a daughter was stealing property from her parents and pawning/selling it at one of our local shops. I used LeadsOnline to quickly identify 40 stolen items that were pawned by the suspect. I used the transaction report to verify the items with the victim; it was quick and easy. All of the items were recovered and returned to the owner including several firearms. This is another example of how easy and effective LeadsOnline is in catching bad guys. Thanks again!”

Det. Fred McKown
Elko Police Department
Nevada

Rapid search of NCIC hits leads Washington police to wanted felon

“I was looking for stolen property and made a sudden decision to look at our NCIC hits while I waited for a phone call, and it really paid off. I found a rifle pawned in Kennewick that matched a rifle reported stolen out of Adams County, Washington. This led to identifying the offender, who had several aliases, eight felony warrants out of Nevada and one in Utah. The Adams County, Benton County and Elko County investigations led to locating him in Nebraska. When Nebraska authorities made contact with him, he fled in a vehicle and abandoned it to run on foot. He hid in a national park for several days before surrendering. Stolen firearms were located in the pickup he was driving. And to think, it’s all because I was waiting on a phone call.”

Det. Rick Runge
Kennewick Police
Washington

LeadsOnline helps Ohio police take stolen guns off the streets

“We received an NCIC hit from LeadsOnline for an iPod and a camera that were reported stolen in a burglary. Investigators located the suspect, who confessed to the offense and turned over a firearm also taken from the burglary. The information provided by LeadsOnline not only identified our suspect, but it got a stolen firearm off the streets. Thanks Leads Online!”

Inv. M. Robinson
Clermont County Sheriff’s Office
Ohio

Hit on stolen firearms reveals convicted felon as the suspect

“LeadsOnline, you are the greatest!!! In early February, I was working on cases of weapons stolen in our city where the serial numbers were not reported. I made contact with a victim of a breaking and entering to an auto that occurred back in July. The victim had a $2,000 competition style gun stolen, and he provided the serial number to me. I immediatley did a search on LeadsOnline and showed that the stolen gun was sold in January. I recovered the gun and found out that the person who sold the gun is a convicted felon for drugs and was just been released from parole! Now this case is being handled by the Feds! Thanks LeadsOnline!!”

Det. Jarl Taylor
Charleston Police Department
West Virginia

Five minutes into using LeadsOnline, and we solved a 12-year-old cold case

“While using the 30-day trial period, one of our detectives was simply walking through some of the features and offerings of LeadsOnline as it was his very FIRST login on the system. Within 5 minutes of simply pointing and clicking through some of the user-friendly tabs and features, he discovered a stolen firearm in Jacksonville, Florida from a 2001 case (that’s 12 years ago!). A hold was placed on the firearm. It was ultimately seized, and the owner was notified. LeadsOnline is already paying off, and we have not even officially signed on (yet). Thank you Leads! We are looking forward to a great partnership in the future.”

Lt. Chris Stallings
Putnam County Sheriff’s Office
Florida

Perfect timing and a stolen firearm is recovered in record time

“I received a report of a stolen firearm, and used LeadsOnline to search it. While I was doing this, someone from the LeadsOnline team called to check in and see if there was anything they could help with. I told her that her timing was perfect. She took the time to give me helpful search hints. Well, those helpful search hints paid off, because two days later, when I was at home writing reports late one night, I receive an email from LeadsOnline saying there as a hit on one of my searches. Sure enough, I logged in, and it was the missing firearm! Without YOU and your database this would not have happened. One bad guy down and infinity more to go. Thanks again. God bless you 🙂 and as I always say, Be Safe Out There!”

Capt. Mark Brock
Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office
Missouri

Suspect strikes twice in theft cases

“There were some guns stolen at a residence, and then a month later, a generator was stolen from a deer camp. I checked LeadsOnline and found the generator, and I also found two of the stolen guns from the other burglary, and I was able to make the arrest. It was the same person who committed both crimes. Thanks LeadsOnline!!”

Chief Dep. Pete Richardson
Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office
Arkansas

Best law enforcement tool around

“I have been using LeadsOnline for approximately one year as an Investigator with my Sheriff’s Office. To date, I have recovered approximately $50,000 in stolen property. As recent as last week, I recovered two stolen guns that were taken in separate burglaries. This is the best tool that has been developed for law enforcement in decades.”

Inv. Kevin Collie
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office
Arkansas

Automated hit from online investigations system locates a stolen shotgun

“I received an NCIC hit for a stolen shotgun from a November 2009 burglary in Greenville, South Carolina. I was able to confirm the shotgun as the correct shotgun from the burglary, and I contacted the shop in Greenville to place a hold on the shotgun. Investigator Perron with Greenville County Sheriff’s Department assisted me in recovering the shotgun, which was turned back to the victim. This has been my first NCIC hit recovery through Leads.”

Det. Phil Tripp
Rock Hill Police Department
South Carolina

Automated reports return hit on gun stolen six years ago

“I received an NCIC Potential Hit on a stolen gun that was pawned at a local gun shop. I was able to verify this was a gun that was stolen in 2007 from Mountain Brook. I seized the gun and returned it to the owner. This would not have been possible without the information from LeadsOnline. Thanks!”

Det. Don Garrett
Mountain Brook Police Department
Alabama

WWII pistol returned to owner 22 years after being stolen

“Back in 1991…yes, 1991, I was in high school at the time, and the Delhi Township Police were running us off the lot of Burger King, when they weren’t busy taking burglary reports. In this report, the victim had several guns stolen from his residence. One of those guns was a Mauser Broomhandle with a wooden holster that also becomes a stock. It is a highly collectible gun and for trivia purposes, also the one Luke Skywalker and Han Solo’s blasters were modeled after. My old police chief was a detective at the time and he was eventually able to make an arrest in the offense. However, despite every effort he was unable to recover the stolen Mauser Broomhandle. More than 20 years later, a gun collector sold the stolen Mauser Broomhandle to a shop/gun dealer in Covington, Kentucky, and we were notified through LeadsOnline. The victim was notified and he did not blink an eye at paying to get back the gun his deceased father brought back with him from World War II. I met the victim at the store, and he literally had tears in his eyes. He was so overwhelmed by his emotions about getting the pistol back. After this much time, he never thought it would be found. As the victim went to write a check for the gun, the store manager said the gun collector came in and paid the money back. Some things in life are worth more than money, like a family heirloom and LeadsOnline.”

Det. Adam Cox
Delhi Township Police Department
Ohio

Stolen handgun recovered in minutes

“Thanks for your quick explanation of how the search works. I located a stolen handgun from 1991 that was just sold to a local business, and that was just within the first 3-4 minutes of being logged in.”

Deputy Roger Hetzel
Crawford County Sheriff’s Office
Ohio

Missing woman proven to be fraud

“I was assigned a case in which a woman had reported being physically assaulted by her live-in boyfriend. When she returned home, she found that her boyfriend had moved out, and he had taken her father’s extensive gun collection with him. She called police out to her residence to report the theft. She advised officers that she and her children would stay with a friend for the night and would follow up with detectives the next day. Since her boyfriend was an ex-convict, and now armed with numerous firearms, she was afraid he would follow up on his threats to kill her. I was unable to reach her for several days after the incident, but I finally received a phone call from worried family members who reported that the day after the assault she dropped her children off at school and never returned to pick them up. The woman had been missing for several days. She did not take her purse, phone, vehicle, or any clothes. Her family advised that her children were her life, and she would never go anywhere without them. The case became a missing/abducted person investigation. After exhausting all leads and checking for months for the missing woman, I attended the LeadsOnline conference in Las Vegas where I learned how to get the most out of the system’s features. When I returned to Texas, I checked the LeadsOnline database and found that the boyfriend had sold a few of the stolen guns. I ran the woman’s information and learned that she had been selling the firearms before the initial theft report. I followed up with the shops in person and found CCTV footage of the pair traveling the country and selling firearms along the way. Now thinking the woman may have left on her own will, I checked some social media online and found a picture with the missing woman in the background, drinking beer and dancing with her boyfriend, several months after abandoning her children at school. LeadsOnline allowed me to clear the missing person case and finally give some answers to her family about what happened to the missing mother. It also later allowed me to show prosecutors that the woman was not an abductee, but a willing participant in her fugitive boyfriend’s criminal activities.”

Det. Dusty Simmons
Haltom City Police Department
Texas

Recovered stolen weapon in first search

“As a brand new detective with my agency, I was set up with a LeadsOnline account. During my tutorial I used my first assigned stolen weapon case and got a hit. This is an amazing asset to law enforcement!”

Det. Jeff Stracener
Hot Springs Police Department
Arkansas

Firearms recovered years after being stolen

“I just recovered a firearm from a 1994 burglary in Pocatello, Idaho. The Leads hit occurred after it was sold to a shop here in Clovis, California. The weapon was recovered and confirmed stolen. The person who sold the weapon said she purchased it from a now deceased friend in 2003 in Idaho. The weapon was returned to its rightful owner in Pocatello.”

Det. Curtis Shurtliff
Clovis Police Department
California

Leads delivers results the first time for North Carolina Police

“One of my first assigned cases was a breaking and entering of a residence with a larceny of a shotgun. This was one of my first experiences with LeadsOnline. I ran the suspect’s name through the system, and the first search showed me everything I needed to know. I’m really impressed with the LeadsOnline system, and I try to tell any other agency I come in contact with about it. My suspect had actually sold a lot of other property, and I was able to recover other stolen items he sold. Thanks for an awesome system.”

Det. Ronald Clarke
Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office
North Carolina

Stolen gun and commercial vacuum cleaner found in first training session

“During our training session we discovered a stolen gun with the first search we did. Everyone in the department is talking about LeadsOnline! Let’s not forget the stolen commercial vacuum cleaner you helped us find! After the training I went in and found another stolen gun from 2010. Whether you realize it or not you helped get “LEADS” on two separate felonies in one afternoon of training. That is not an everyday occurrence around here at least! Pat yourself on the back!”

Det. Sam Cunningham
Sweetwater Police Department
Texas

Eleven guns returned to elderly couple

“I received a case for follow up in reference to 11 stolen firearms. The complainants were able to provide partial serial numbers and descriptions of the firearms. I immediately entered the information I was provided into LeadsOnline. While five of the firearms were recovered locally, the other six were recovered only because the Dallas area businesses and I all used LeadsOnline. A warrant was issued for the convicted felon that burglarized the elderly couple and the property was returned to them, the rightful owners. LeadsOnline provides a great service. I’m so grateful for LeadsOnline.”

Inv. Jessica Halbert
Henderson County Sheriff’s Office
Texas

Stolen firearms recovered

“I received a call from Phenix, Alabama about a residence that was burglarized where several guns were stolen. Unfortunately, he did not have any of the serial numbers for the stolen guns, but I was able to go back to the store where it purchased in Georgia to obtain the serial number. Ten minutes after I obtained the serial number, I ran it on LeadsOnline and found where the shotgun and one of the other stolen guns were sold in Alabama. I then ran the person’s name through LeadsOnline and found the rest of the stolen guns and property at another shop close by. I forwarded the information to the detective working the case who was able to recover all of the property and obtain warrants for the offender. This case would not have been solved without the assistance of LeadsOnline.”

Det. Tim Busby
Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office
Georgia

Firearms recovered from fleeing suspect

“Thanks to LeadsOnline I was able to locate and recover a stolen firearm for one of my victims. The suspect fled arrest and crossed state lines into West Virginia and sold the stolen rifle. Because of LeadsOnline the firearm was recovered and returned to the owner, and the suspect was later located and arrested for the B&E&L into a residence and Larceny of Firearms, along with several other charges.”

Lt. Lee Whitesides
Davie County Sheriff’s Office / CID
North Carolina

Large amounts of stolen metal recovered thanks to statewide scrap metal database

“We responded to a report of a large amount of metal being stolen. At the time of the report, employees could not give an inventory of the items missing. A few days later, I followed up and discovered that more metal had been stolen over the weekend. This time they had a better inventory and provided a list of Items. I located two transactions that were sold to a shop, and they provided us with a vehicle description for the suspect. I went back to LeadsOnline and located another large metal transaction that was sold to the same shop. I recovered a total of about 4,000 pounds of stolen metal. Thank you LeadsOnline!”

Inv. Daniel A. Thomas
Vicksburg Police Department
Mississippi

Stolen gun returned to owner four years after being stolen

“While searching LeadsOnline, I received a hit on a stolen firearm from a burglary in July 2009. The firearm was recovered and returned to the rightful owner. He was very happy to have his rifle back since he thought he would never see it again. This would have never been possible without the great service provided by LeadsOnline. Thanks for making my job easier, and making success stories like this happen every day.”

Inv. Steve Kimbel
Madison County Sheriff’s Office
Georgia

Firearm returned to owner eight years after being stolen

“In 2005 the Juneau County Sheriff’s Office took a theft complaint of three firearms that were stolen. All three guns were entered into NCIC. Eight years later, I did an NCIC Potential Hit search and a gun came back matching one of the guns stolen in 2005. I contacted the businesses in Missouri and located the stolen firearm. The shop shipped the gun to the Sheriff’s Office. I then returned the weapon to the owner. The owner was very happy since the weapon belonged to his grandfather. I wouldn’t have been able to recover this weapon without LeadsOnline. Thank you!”

Det. Shaun Goyette
Juneau County Sheriff’s Office
Wisconsin

Guitars and firearms stolen from famous country singer

“I was assigned a report involving the theft of numerous guitars, memorabilia and firearms from a famous country singer. The following two weeks I identified a suspect and through my investigation, identified approximately $25,000 worth of guitars and firearms sold to various businesses in Missouri and Arkansas. Thanks to LeadsOnline, I returned every guitar stolen and several of the firearms back to the owner. Many of these items were very valuable and one-of-a-kind pieces. With the help of LeadsOnline, I quickly identified, placed holds and recovered these items. Without this system, I likely would not have been able to recover all of the items. The amount of hours dedicated to this investigation was drastically cut due to LeadsOnline. The suspect is currently in custody facing numerous charges. Thank you for this website.”

Det. Daniel Smithson
Branson Police Department
Missouri

Four stolen guns recovered multiple states away

“We have used LeadsOnline for a couple of years now. Using the system, I have recovered several stolen items including a flat screen TV, chainsaws, weed eaters and four stolen guns… some as far away as Texas! It’s a great tool.”

Det. Gary Barton
Reynolds County Sheriff’s Office
Missouri

Missouri police recover stolen guns and solve major cases using LeadsOnline

“LeadsOnline is making me a rock star! I just solved a big case using LeadsOnline involving multiple stolen firearms and unlawful possession of firearms by a felon. While investigating a stolen property case, I discovered the suspect sold several stolen guns to a local shop. The suspect admitted he stole the guns from a family member and sold them. I made contact with the family member, and she could not believe it. The family member pressed charges, and her guns were returned to her. I would not have solved this case if it was not for LeadsOnline! This is the second time within a couple of months I have solved a major case by using LeadsOnline. Thank you for making me look good!”

Det. Tony Perkins
Boone County Sheriff’s Department
Missouri

Suspect arrested after paying bondsman by selling a stolen gun

“One of our ‘regulars’ received bond for selling a stolen gun (found on LeadsOnline, of course). When he got out of jail, he realized he had no money in his pocket to pay the bondsman. How does he make some quick cash? He sells another stolen gun! LeadsOnline alerted me within three days, and he was quickly back in jail. Thanks for all you do at LeadsOnline! This is the best service for Law Enforcement!”

Det. Keith Quattrocchi
Milledgeville Police Department
Georgia

Kentucky State Police recover stolen firearm in record time

“Kentucky State Police were investigating a residential burglary. There were a few guns stolen along with a custom made gold wolf head pendant. The gold pendant weighed 2 ounces alone and was valued at approximately $4,000. Within hours I located the pendant at a local pawn shop and had a name of a suspect. I have never found a piece of stolen property this fast, and I couldn’t have done it without the help of LeadsOnline!”

CI Anlst. Julia Hicks
Kentucky State Police Post 7
Kentucky

LeadsOnline identifies suspects that other programs cannot

“I was working a series of home invasion robberies in our city. All I had to identify one of the suspects was a phone number and a description. I checked our police database; no record. I checked our pay-for-use online nationwide database; no record. I searched the internet, but only got the city for the cell phone subscriber. When I ran the phone number with LeadOnline, it gave me the name of my suspect, and showed he sold one of the items stolen during the robbery! This information helped me to author a search warrant that led to the recovery of several more stolen items well as four guns, two of which were confirmed stolen. Four people total were charged in the robberies, and the suspect I identified through LeadsOnline gave a confession. He received over six years in prison and agreed to testify against the gunman, who is looking at 21+ years. Thanks LeadsOnline!”

Det. Martin Garland
Bremerton Police Department
Washington

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