News and Success Stories

Kansas police use LeadsOnline as a tool to catch retail thief

“I was assigned a theft case for follow up. The store provided surveillance video of the male suspect walking out of the store with merchandise that was not paid for. The store had no serial number information, and the store video was not clear enough to make a positive Identification from the suspect’s face. A store employee was able to provide us with a license plate on the suspect’s vehicle. I ran the tag, and the registered owner was a female, and not our suspect from the video. I used an online police resource to find names of known associates to the vehicle owner. I located one who was similar to the suspect in the surveillance video. I searched LeadsOnline for the name and found this person sold the same types of items reported stolen in another jurisdiction. The business supplied us with photographs of the suspect who sold the property, and he was wearing the same shirt as he was in the store surveillance video when the item was stolen.”

Det. Matthew Nickel
Leavenworth Police Department
Kansas

Department stores targeted by high end vacuum thief

“I located a Dyson vacuum that was sold about 40 minutes after it was stolen from a Kohl’s Department Store. Information obtained from the transaction led me to the suspect’s friend, who drove him to the Kohl’s Department Store. The suspect was subsequently arrested for burglary and two counts of felony retail theft. This information also helped obtain charges on the same suspect for thefts in surrounding jurisdictions.”

Det. Shaun Knight
Lake Zurich Police Department
Illinois

Tools stolen from local businesses and recovered

“While working a local business burglary case where tools were stolen, we checked LeadsOnline and saw that a local person sold tools at two businesses in Salina, Kansas. I contacted the shops and went over to look at the tools that were sold to them. At both shops, it was determined that the tools were the same tools stolen from the business. All the tools were collected, and with evidence from LeadsOnline, the suspect confessed and pled. Thanks!”

Inv. Toby Osburn
Dickinson County Sheriff’s Department
Kansas

LeadsOnline supports evidence of suspect stealing video games from multiple businesses

“A female subject came into a local business in the city of Hialeah. The employee noticed she was very nervous looking as she was looking through a stack of video games on the rack. The employee noticed a large amount of envelopes that contained games were empty, and asked the subject where they were. The subject replied, ‘I did not take the games.’ Right then, the employee reviewed the surveillance video footage and confirmed that the subject did remove many pre-owned video games from their sealed envelopes and put them in her purse. The employee attempted to confront the subject regarding the stolen items, but the subject fled on foot with the video games. The video games were valued at $315. The subject was identified by a license plate number the employee noted from the vehicle. The lead Detective questioned another local business in the city, and an employee identified the same subject as the person who stole several video games on another occasion, totaling $130. The Detective provide me the subject’s name and date of birth, and I ran her information through LeadsOnline. I instantly came up with transactions showing she pawned numerous video games. Unknown to the lead Detective, the subject had an open Domestic Violence case and was at the Hialeah Police Station. One of the burglary Detective’s noticed the subject in the elevator from a BOLO that was issued for Grand Theft of video games. The lead Detective interviewed the subject, and she would not admit to the theft. Later, the subject spoke with the Domestic Violence Advocate where she spontaneous said, ‘I did it for my young son.’ The subject was charged with Grand Theft and transported to jail.”

Det. Donald Duhart
Hialeah Police Department
Florida

LeadsOnline makes solving cases easy and fast

“You guys did it again! We had a retail theft that led to a pursuit. The suspect had the wonderful idea to sell to a local business that reports to LeadsOnline. Using your system saved me hours of pawn shop hunting!!”

Det. Jack Shannon
Northlake Police Department
Illinois

LeadsOnline and ecoATM help identify a jewelry shoplifter

“I was investigating an incident involved shoplifting numerous pieces of jewelry valued at over $200. The victim had security cameras and decent footage of the female suspect. The victim was able to obtain the license plate number of the vehicle the suspect left in, which belonged to a male. Through my investigation, I was able to find a female matching the description of the suspect. Initially, the only pictures I could find of the female were old, making it difficult to identify her as the suspect in the incident. Through LeadsOnline, I was able to find a recent pawn by the female in which she sold a cell phone at ecoATM. Because ecoATM takes pictures of the individuals, I now had an updated photograph which led to identifying the suspect. LeadsOnline has been an invaluable investigative tool, not only for finding stolen items but personal information on potential suspects, photographs, and current information. Thank you.”

Det. Calvin Beveridge
Chesapeake Police Department
Virginia

Retail thieves identified easily with help from LeadsOnline

“Here’s one that’s a bit unusual. I received an email from a loss prevention person at one of our department stores with surveillance photos of a couple who had been shoplifting game controllers from the store. She was asking if anyone could identify the two suspects. I used LeadsOnline to identify nine potential individuals. I narrowed the list to two based on relative age of the individuals in the surveillance photos. I found that they both had been selling, not only game controllers, but also cell phones to the ecoATM machines at our mall. Knowing that ecoATM takes photographs of people transacting business at their kiosks, I pulled up the ecoATM tickets with attached photos and had perfect pictures of both suspects with their identifying information, drivers licenses and thumbprints. One of the photos even showed both suspects together at the kiosk.”

Tom Haynie
Medford Police Department
Oregon

Mower stolen from local hardware store returned to rightful owner

“I recovered a mower stolen from a local hardware store by using the LeadsOnline system. The property was recovered and returned to the owner of the hardware store with warrants obtained on the suspect. Awesome!!!”

Det. James Smith
Stokes County Sheriff’s Office
North Carolina

Police recover television stolen from local business

“We had a report of a stolen television from a local business, and as the officers were responding, we put the information into LeadsOnline. We received a hit on the stolen television with all the information we needed. Soon after, the officers recovered the TV at the pawn shop and a warrant will be issued for the suspect. Thanks for all that you do and making this possible!”

Dispatcher Kyle Davis
Bentonville Police Department
Arkansas

LeadsOnline proves invaluable to Missouri police

“Our officers responded to an apartment complex after tools were reported stolen. The theft was a felony amount, and they suspected a former employee. During my investigation, I used LeadsOnline and located the same tools that had been pawned. The investigation revealed their suspicions were accurate. The former employee pawned the tools because he was homeless and living out of his car. Because of LeadsOnline, I was able to place a hold on the items and recover them for the victim. The suspect was taken into custody, and provided a full confession when confronted with all of the facts, including the LeadsOnline record! The property was returned to the victim. Using LeadsOnline, I was able to clear a case, obtain a confession, have warrants issued, and return the stolen items to the victim, all within two days! LeadsOnline proved invaluable in this case!”

Det. Geoffrey Schultz
Creve Coeur Police Department
Missouri

Suspect arrested after renting and selling tools from five separate rental businesses

“Just wanted to pass along another success story. I’m finishing the investigation on a case that started out with my suspect renting equipment from a tool rental business and then never returning it. Thanks to LeadsOnline, I found the suspect sold the equipment to a pawn shop the same day he rented it. The suspect was having the equipment charged to the state of Indiana. After checking further, I found that he sold equipment that he rented from five other equipment businesses over a period of a month. Due to LeadsOnline, we have been able to recover almost all of the equipment with a total value of nearly $30,000. Great work on your guys’ part, and thanks for having a great resource for us to use.”

Det. Larry Craciunoiu
Indianapolis Police Department
Indiana

Suspect uses an alias to charge rented power tools to company account and sell them for cash

“Well I don’t claim to be a Rock Star, but I do have a success story. This is actually a traveling theft suspect who was identified through LeadsOnline. He would go to equipment rental businesses and pose as an employee of a well-known construction business. He would then rent a saw or another expensive tool and have the rental company place the item on the business account. He would fail to bring the equipment back and then pawn the equipment at a local secondhand shop. Investigators had success with tracking his thefts via LeadsOnline. The suspect is a parolee and has numerous warrants from Kansas for violation of his parole and theft. He has committed these thefts in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas. This would not have been determined if it weren’t for Leads. Y’all are the Rock Stars!”

Det. Daniel Robbins
Fayetteville Police Department
Arkansas

Suspect steals copper wiring from employer for quick cash

“The victimized business in this investigation filed a larceny report believing that some of their employees were stealing copper house wire. A list was compiled by the victim and submitted in the initial report. Detective Rios searched through LeadsOnline and found that one of the victim’s employees scrapped a large amount of copper house wire. Detective Rios obtained tickets and photos of each transaction that showed exactly what the suspect sold. The victim identified all the wiring in the photos as wiring the company keeps in stock for their electrical contracting business. The victim reviewed his inventory which showed that the suspect was taking more wire than what was needed for the jobs. It was then determined that the amount of copper wire stolen amounted to $3,581. The suspect then sold/scrapped the same wiring and received a total amount of $1,982. A warrant was issued for the suspect’s arrest for Embezzlement and Obtaining Property by False Pretenses. He was apprehended and invoked his right to remain silent. There is more follow up to conduct regarding possible associates and other thefts.”

Det. Wilbur Oneal
Raleigh Police Department
North Carolina

LeadsOnline helps Ohio police arrest repeat offender known for retail theft

“Using LeadsOnline I became aware that a female, who I arrested last month for stealing, was selling an unusually high number of tools that were ‘new in box’. After sending out her information and photo on a metro area information network, I began receiving emails from businesses who recognized her as being a suspect in multiple thefts.”

Det. Ryan Kiser
Reynoldsburg Police Department
Ohio

Police discover retail thieves and secondhand clerk working together

“While working a burglary case, I found similar items being sold at a local business. Further investigation revealed these were not the items; however, after going back approximately 10 months, it was found this subject and another girl had pawned about $50,000 worth of new items. I was able to determine the Rosetta Stone items had been shipped to a local Target, and while working with their loss prevention, they were able to go back on video and see the suspects on tape stealing these items. After making the arrest on the two suspects, we discovered the pawn shop clerk was also involved, and with the help of Target loss prevention donating items to be sold, we were able to make an arrest on the pawn shop clerk. We recovered approximately $5,000 worth of items that the shop still had.”

Inv. Bryant Hinson
Richland County Sheriff’s Department
South Carolina

Business catches employee stealing $1,700 worth of property

“I investigated a breach of trust type of case in which a company’s employee had been removing property from the business and selling it to pawn shops for cash. The victim was unaware of exactly how much property had been stolen at the time of the report. Using the employees name to search, I discovered that the employee had sold approximately $1,700 worth of property and lawn care equipment to multiple pawn shops. The victim was able to identify all of their property, and it was quickly recovered. This discovery resulted in an arrest.”

Det. Brian Smith
Lexington County Sheriff’s Department
South Carolina

$23,000 worth of property recovered for business before they even knew it was stolen

“I was reviewing the results of a search when I noticed one gentleman sold several 1000 lb electric hoists, brand new in the box, at one of our local secondhand stores. A little research on the hoists revealed only one business in the area that sold such equipment. I contacted the business and asked them to conduct a physical inventory of their hoists. A total of nine hoists were missing from the shelves, the exact same number that had been sold at the secondhand store. The person who sold the equipment turned out to be the shipping and receiving manager for the company. He was arrested and charged for the thefts, and the company was able to recover approximately $23,000 worth of inventory they didn’t even know was missing. Without LeadsOnline, the crime might not have been discovered at all, or may have come to light after the property had been liquidated.”

Det. Patrick Sutherland
Toledo Police Department
Ohio

Suspect caught selling stolen items from local home improvement stores and Walmarts

“I was doing an extensive background check on a suspect that was selling brand new drills. The drills were stolen from several home improvement stores in our city. The stores were not aware of the larcenies until I made them aware of the situation. The estimated cost of the drills were $5,000 and I also noticed that the suspect was selling brand new Samsung cameras, Toshiba hard drives, 15 wireless routers, and several computer keyboards. Those items were stolen from our local Walmart stores and they also did not know the items were stolen until we notified them. All the property that was sold by the suspect was recovered and the suspect was charged and eventually convicted. I feel that LeadsOnline is a very useful tool and I have closed several other cases using Leads.”

Det. John Alexander
Greensboro Police Department
North Carolina

Organized retail theft ring in Alabama now somewhat less organized

“I found my where my suspect sold a large number of brand new Dewalt drills, which were stolen from Lowes. I have also learned that he is a part of a larger theft ring operating throughout two counties. I have recovered approximately $4,000 worth of property just this week alone.”

Det. Wesley Grigsby
Madison Police Investigations
Alabama

Law enforcement cleaning up with LeadsOnline

“We received a retail theft report from a business in which an unknown offender walked out of the store with three Dyson Vacuums. Their loss and prevention department provided us with the serial numbers for the stolen vacuum cleaners. A LeadsOnline search showed the vacuum cleaners were sold at a pawn shop located 25 miles away from our town. The offender was currently out on bond for committing a similar retail theft in another jurisdiction.”

Det. Chris Allen
Plainfield Police Department
Illinois

Organized retail theft cases solved with LeadsOnline and Facebook

“A crime bulletin was sent out from another jurisdiction seeking help in identifying a female accomplice in a series of retail thefts. The bulletin included the male suspect’s name and a clear photo of both suspects. I accessed LeadsOnline and queried the transactions made by the male suspect. Once I saw he had a pawn history, I used LeadsOnline to identify the female suspect. I then went to the female’s Facebook page and there was a photo of the two suspects together! This research only took a few minutes to complete and yielded results. LeadsOnline is an extremely useful tool.”

Det. David Mozell
Lakewood Police Department
Colorado

Store employee caught stealing and selling several cell phones in Ohio

“With the help of LeadsOnline, I was able to retrieve 14 cell phones from an ecoATM which had been stolen by an employee of a cell phone store. The phones were returned to the victim and charges filed on the suspect. Thank you LeadsOnline. ”

Det. Kimberly Haines
Jackson Township Police Department
Ohio

Trio of suspects caught in larceny with hard evidence confirmed with LeadsOnline

“For over six months, a local jewelry store was reporting that they were having an issue with three unidentified suspects stealing expensive watches. In all the reported thefts, it was the same three suspects. Two of the suspects would cause a diversion and then the third suspect would commit the larceny. In one instance the suspects were observed leaving the scene in a vehicle with limited descriptors. Using LeadsOnline, I was able to determine who the suspects were through the repeated transactions option. There were hits during the reported time frames of the thefts. Further investigation revealed the main suspect had known the associates that were also identified as the remaining two suspects who were also selling the same brand of expensive stolen watches. The main suspect also drove the same make, model, and color vehicle observed during one of the larcenies. A short time after that larceny occurred; the main suspect was selling the watches at a local business. The information from LeadsOnline was used to confirm the identities of the suspects. LeadsOnline also assisted in identifying the stolen watches and gave a time line of events that coincided with the reported larcenies. In total, 19 of 22 watches have been recovered and all three suspects have been identified and arrested.”

Det. Wilbur Oneal
Raleigh Police Department
North Carolina

Raleigh detective uses LeadsOnline to stop a team of thieves from a multitude of consecutive thefts

“I was notified by management of two music stores that they were experiencing a rash of thefts concerning guitars in the local area. I was given a list of guitars that had been reported stolen. In review of the property listed as stolen, it was learned that there was a group of individuals specifically targeting music centers for mandolins and Stratocasters. LeadsOnline was able to assist in locating several of these guitars that were reported stolen and also identified/located additional music equipment that was not previously reported as being stolen. Four suspects that are known to each other and are operating together were identified. A multitude of music equipment and instruments were returned to the victims within a short amount of time. Property was located all throughout Wake County and Cumberland County. All four suspects were located and arrested. Another success with the assistance of LeadsOnline. ”

Det. Wilbur Oneal
Raleigh Police Department
North Carolina

Pasadena detective catches purse snatcher

“While investigating an Organized Retail Theft case in which a female suspect had stolen multiple purses from multiples of a specific store on several occasions, I was able to identify the suspect. A check of LeadsOnline revealed that she had sold 37 purses at the same business in a month’s time frame. Upon arresting the suspect, she confessed that she had sold all of the purses which she had stolen to the business referenced above. I was ultimately able to seize 29 purses valued at approximately $5,000 which will later be given back to the store they came from.”

Det. Kevin Satterwhite
Pasadena Police Department
Texas

Rash of retail thefts brought to an end with the help of LeadsOnline

“This summer, a major home improvement center was alerted to a person concealing WIFI thermostats on their person and leaving their store. Loss prevention at this chain reviewed video of the incident and determined that the suspect removed two of these high valued thermostats and left the store without paying. We ran a search of the model number and brand of the thermostat and were able to locate the items being sold at a local business via use of LeadsOnline. Upon looking at photos of the offender from the retail store video and the identification provided to the business by the suspect, we were able to identify the individual who stole the items. Upon further checking of transaction records from LeadsOnline we were able to connect the offender with several other jurisdictions and a rash of retail thefts that were committed there as well. Because of LeadsOnline, we were able to link the offender to several thefts across multiple jurisdictions and counties and bring him and others to justice.”

Lt. John Dossey
Hanover Park Police Department
Illinois

Suspect who receives a refund for property that has never been sold gets caught

“Earlier this summer, while reviewing LeadsOnline, I discovered (while using the residents pawning outside our jurisdiction option) that a female had been selling gift cards for four consecutive days. Upon looking into the issue further I learned (by admission from the suspect) that she would wake up every day, go into Target or Walmart, remove property from the shelf, walk directly up to the return counter, ask for a refund and receive a gift card for the amount of the merchandise. LeadsOnline’s features are awesome! Thanks!”

Det. Jason Threlkeld
Miamisburg Police Department
Ohio

Home invasion suspect identified

“I was able to talk to the correct investigator this morning in the Aug. 25 home invasion case in Fort Worth, and it turns out that LeadsOnline WAS used in this case. In fact, the system was instrumental in nabbing the first suspect in the case, 17-year-old Brandon Shaw, by tracing the jewelry he and two others stole in the crime to a pawn shop.

The investigator, Detective B.C. Johnson, said they wouldn’t have caught Shaw without LeadsOnline – or it certainly would have taken a much longer time. There is still one suspect at large in the case, but they’ve also arrested the second suspect, 19-year-old Darrell Williams.

The story is that Shaw, Williams, and the other suspect still at large broke into the house and viciously beat the parents in front of their children. (So badly that one of the parents had to have reconstructive surgery.) Moreover, it’s believed these guys may have been involved in a rash of other robberies this year, but that still hasn’t been corroborated yet.

Detective Johnson is a big fan of LeadsOnline, and told me that in addition to this case, it has helped him solve ‘many others.'”

Chris Payne
Witherspoon Public Relations
Ft. Worth, TX

Getting the case rolling

“I have been trying to find a person that will be a suspect and / or witness in a child porn case. I was unable to find him until I ran him in LeadsOnline. This case is turning into an aggravated sexual assault of a child. LeadsOnline has helped me get this case rolling and hopefully get some closure for several victims.”

Det. J.W. McRobbie
Arlington Police Department
Criminal Investigation Division
Texas

Stolen property leads to capital murder

“A neighboring municipality had a gruesome double homicide in which a female had been sexually assaulted and then murdered. Her husband had been murdered as he was returning home and tried to enter the residence. There was no physical evidence and no suspects.

While reviewing tickets from a non-participating LeadsOnline store, we got a serial number hit on property reported stolen during the offense. The property had been pawned months after the murders.

We developed a suspect for a gruesome double homicide, and we used LeadsOnline to do a complete pawn history of the suspect. We found that he had pawned other property within days of the offense. The suspect information was passed to the neighboring agency which arrested the suspect based on the information we had obtained. That property had been stolen during the offense. The suspect confessed and was convicted of capital murder.

Case update from Det. McRobbie: “The suspect in that Capital Murder case plead guilty before the court last week to escape the death penalty. We probably would not have found the victim’s jewelry without LeadsOnline. The fact that the suspect pawned the victim’s jewelry after the offense was discussed at trial. Thanks!”

Det. J.W. McRobbie
Arlington Police Department
Criminal Investigation Division
Texas

Gun used in attempted murder case recovered 20 years later

“In 1989, Ouachita Parish Sheriff Department worked an Armed Robbery & Attempted First Degree Murder case. During that incident, a Ruger .22 caliber handgun was stolen and was never recovered.

That is, until now. On Feb., 1, 2010 the handgun was pawned in Joshua, Texas. The original Sergeant who worked the case 22 years ago is now our current Sheriff — Royce Toney. The handgun is currently being seized and will be returned to our agency, all thanks to LeadsOnline for alerting us when the handgun was pawned.”

Note: this crime was solved while the department was on the LeadsOnline 30-Day Free Trial.

Staff Sgt. Wade Day
Ouachita Parish Sheriff Department
Louisiana

Stolen gun found one year later with NCIC hit

“On December 29, 2009, I responded to a burglary involving a stolen firearm, a Phoenix .22 caliber semi automatic. I quickly developed a lead and subsequently made an arrest and charged a female with the burglary, however she did not disclose the location of the stolen firearm. Almost exactly one year later, on 27th day of December 2010, the said stolen firearm was recovered in a local pawn shop with the help of LeadsOnline NCIC Hits. Thanks to LeadsOnline for helping take another stolen firearm off the street, and making the community and our police officers safer with the weapon back in our hands and not in the hands of the bad guys.”

Det. C.L. Buttrick
Marmet Police Department
West Virginia

Gun stolen two years ago recovered

“On March 2, 2011, I was checking my NCIC Hits and located a hunting rifle that had been stolen from a house in George County, MS in 2008. The rifle had been pawned at a store in Jackson County, MS. The suspect was already in jail at the time, but this rifle was the last of five that that had been recovered. It is great to be able to return property to people after they have been violated in such a manner. Thanks to LeadsOnline for what you do.”

Det. Jason L. Smith
George County Sheriff’s Department
Mississippi

Escaped Indiana convict and burglar found in Minnesota

“In early September 2011, a homeowner was shot in the back during a burglary and robbery. The suspect ended up being an escaped convict who was drifting from state to state. We located the suspect in early October using LeadsOnline. Within a couple of days, the suspect was captured in Minnesota. He is now back in Indiana awaiting trial for attempted murder as well as other charges.”

Det. Sgt. Shane McHenry
Dearborn County Special Crimes
Indiana

Protecting all, including the pizza delivery person

“Around 11 p.m. on March 4, a pizza delivery person was beaten and robbed during a delivery. The two suspects (one black male and one white female) had phoned in a fake order to a vacant residence. When the delivery person arrived she was knocked to the ground and drug into the garage by her hair. The suspect’s roughed her up a little bit and threatened her with a club. They took a small amount of cash and two pizzas from her prior to fleeing on foot. A couple of days later, our Crimes Against Persons Sergeant came to me and asked if I could take a look at the case since they had no leads. I read the officer’s report and it listed a cell phone number from which the order had been phoned in. I was unable to locate the number in our local records database or CAD/911 system. I assumed that it was a fairly new number and they probably had not used it much. I then decided as a last resort to run the cell number through LeadsOnline. Sure enough I received a hit. I found two recent transactions in which this number was listed. One transaction was conducted by a black male and the other by a white female. The white female’s address on the pawn ticket was one street over and two blocks down from where the robbery occurred. The two subjects were located the following day and brought in for questioning. They both subsequently confessed to the robbery. Thanks to this system, I was able to identify the two suspects within 20 minutes of receiving the case. Hope this is a good example of the capabilities this system offers to law enforcement. Of course it is only one of many I’ve had over the past few years.”

Ofc. Shad Phillips
Abilene Police Department
Texas

Louisiana murder victim’s property found through LeadsOnline

“My cousin was robbed and murdered in the town that I live in and the only thing of value that he had on him was a gold charm on a necklace that he wore around his neck. I used Leads to search local pawn shops and found where the charm was pawned. I took my family in and let them verify that the charm was indeed my cousin’s. It has not solved his murder yet but it did bring some closure to his mother to get the only thing of value that her son had back in her possession.”

Officer Jeremy Prudhome
Centenary College of Louisiana Police Department
Louisiana

Bank robber identified by Colorado detective

“Longmont Police Department’s Community Service Officer / Detective Beth Buchholtz has the primary duty of conducting pawn investigations using LeadsOnline as a major tool in these investigations. She recently viewed the surveillance photos from a bank robbery and realized the suspect was a person who she knew had been making a large number of pawn transactions. She passed this information on to the robbery detective. Additional follow up was conducted by other detectives; an arrest warrant was obtained for and an arrest made of the person CSO Buchholtz identified. Not only is Beth adept at conducting pawn investigations she learns the “players” in Longmont and in this case was able to assist in the arrest of the bank robbery suspect.”

Sgt. Joel Post
Longmont Police Department
Colorado

Stolen Xbox recovered, thief and child molester identified via LeadsOnline

“Recently I was able to confirm that an Xbox 360 had been sold to a local retail store that had been reported stolen by an adult victim. During the course of this investigation I also learned that one of the adults that took this Xbox from its owner (who was not home at the time) also molested the owner’s minor child who was home at the time of the theft. I able to use the information of the person who sold the Xbox to locate and interview them and eventually get a confession of Theft, Receiving Stolen Property and Sexual Misconduct With a Minor. Thanks for your help LeadsOnline!”

Det. Troy Pesavento
Terre Haute Police Department
Indiana

Murder suspect pawns victim’s gold teeth overlays; Murder solved via LeadsOnline

“The Overland Park Fire Department responded to a fire in an apartment complex. The fire department found the resident lying on the floor. The victim had been stabbed several times in the neck. The fire had been an attempt to cover up the murder. The roommate reported that the last person to be with the victim was his 19 year old son. Reportedly the father and son had been separated for several years and had recently been united. The son also had a cousin that reportedly had some bad feelings towards the victim. At the start of the investigation we had the son identified, but not the cousin. The victim’s family suggested that some of his property may have been missing. I ran a check through LeadsOnline for any activity involving the son or his cousin. I found that the son had pawned some gold teeth overlays the day of the murder. The pawn shop was contacted and the teeth were collected along with the pawn shop’s video of the day. The teeth were identified as the victim’s. The video showed the two suspects entering the pawn shop and the entire transaction.”

Det. Kim Massey
Overland Park Police Department
Kansas

Violent home invasion, sexual assault solved via LeadsOnline

“A man and a woman were asleep in the living room of their home in Kansas City, Missouri when they awoke to two men in their house. The two victims were pistol whipped, tied up, and the woman raped. The two male suspects took a TV, jewelry, Xbox, and other items from the house after raping and beating the victims. A detective assigned to the case contacted me and asked me to search the LeadsOnline database to see if any of the stolen articles had been taken to a pawnshop. I searched LeadsOnline and located the stolen property in two pawnshops. I responded to the pawnshops, photographed the property, and obtained the names of the suspects and video surveillance of the items being pawned. The suspects were then identified because they had used their identification to pawn the property.

Identifying the suspects of this heinous crime would have been nearly impossible without having the capability to instantly check all of the pawnshop transactions and locate the stolen items taken from this crime, which having LeadsOnline provides me.”

Det. Jeffery Mehrer
Kansas City Police Department
Missouri

Suspect pawns jewelry after murder in Arlington

“There was a capital murder of a well-known figure in the religious community here in Arlington. The detective working the case was able to develop suspect information, but more evidence was needed to tie the suspect to the offense. At the request of the investigating detective, I conducted a suspect search using the LeadsOnline database and found that the suspect had pawned the victim’s jewelry at a pawnshop within walking distance of the murder on the same day as the offense. With this added evidence the suspect was arrested and indicted for capital murder. The suspect pled guilty before the court last week to escape the death penalty. We probably would not have found the victim’s jewelry without LeadsOnline. The fact that the suspect pawned the victim’s jewelry after the offense was discussed at trial. Thanks!”

Det. J.W. McRobbie
Arlington Police Department
Texas

LeadsOnline provides crucial link in homicide

“A body was discovered dumped in the brush alongside a road just inside the city limits. The body was that of a decomposed male. Homicide Detectives with Austin Police were able to identify the victim and they learned the deceased male was missing some jewelry. Homicide detectives traced the whereabouts and acquaintances of the victim and learned that he was probably killed around July 30. Homicide detectives contacted the pawn unit of APD to search any pawn activity to the known associates of the deceased male. I searched the Austin Police pawn records and did not find anything on the two names provided to me. I then logged onto LeadsOnline and searched these same individuals. I found a possible match on one of the subjects. He had pawned four rings at an Action Pawn store in Round Rock, TX on July 30.. This pawn transaction was suspicious to the homicide detectives working the case. They went to the pawn shop and photographed the jewelry that was pawned by the known associate. These photographs were shown to the family of the deceased and they positively identified the jewelry as that belonging to the deceased male.

This positive identification and documentation indicating the pawner selling these items about the time the victim died, has provided a great lead for the detectives to possibly solve this homicide case. This information probably would not have been found without the help of LeadsOnline.”

Det. Joseph Lucas
Austin Police Department
Texas

Nationwide metal theft database solves homicide in less than eight hours

“We began investigating a homicide case. The victim, Jack Markowitz, was found dead inside his burning vehicle on Hwy 57 in Gautier, Mississippi. With little to go on, investigators soon began piecing together the puzzle and discovered that the victim was a buyer and seller of catalytic converters and reported to LeadsOnline. Witnesses who passed by the area described to police a black dodge pickup truck with a metal cage on the back that was seen parked next to the victim prior to the crime. Having a suspect vehicle to look for, investigators began using LeadsOnline to run inquiries on each person that the victim had recent contact with. What investigators discovered cracked the case wide open. A recent transaction of catalytic converters between our newly discovered suspect and the victim showed a photograph of the catalytic converters, as well as the back of the suspect’s black dodge truck and metal cage. Utilizing this information from LeadsOnline helped investigators solve their homicide case in less than eight hours and resulted in a charge of capital murder against the suspect. LeadsOnline has been an invaluable tool for the Gautier Police Department allowing us to solve countless property crimes. In this case, LeadsOnline helped a reporting business lead police to the criminal who took his life. We look forward to continued service with LeadsOnline and hope to attend the conference this year in New Orleans, Louisiana.”

Det. Jonathan Whitfield
Gautier Police Department
Mississippi

Violent robbery leads to victim’s death

“Miami Beach PD called us in reference to suspects wanted in a robbery where the victim, a male in his 60’s, died from the beating and an apparent heart attack. The female suspect would befriend the victim, and then the other subjects would jump him. In this particular case, the suspects made off with a decent amount of jewelry. Once the subjects were located, they admitted to pawning the property, and search of LeadsOnline revealed where the property was, ultimately tying them to the crime. The suspects were charged with felony murder and robbery, with additional charges pending.”

Det. Donald Duhart
Hialeah Police Department
Florida

$180,000 armed robbery solved with LeadsOnline

“We had an armed robbery at a local jewelry store where two suspects stole 85 ladies diamond wedding rings valued at over $180,000. After searching LeadsOnline, I came up with a suspect who pawned 25 ladies diamond wedding rings at three different pawnshops. After going to all three pawnshops and taking photos of the rings, the manager at the jewelry store positively identified the rings and the suspect.”

Detective Ron Turner
Columbus Police Department
Ohio

Stolen property leads police to murderer

“We were notified of a homicide of an elderly woman who lived alone. The victim was brutally stabbed multiple times, and property was stolen from her residence. A search of the LeadsOnline database showed property that was stolen was sold to a pawn shop in Shelbyville. Upon further investigation, enough information was generated to get a search warrant for the person that sold the property. The murder weapon along with other property stolen from the victim’s house was recovered. This homicide case was solved in four days based on information from LeadsOnline and the bad guy will spend many years in a secure facility, or in other words, prison.”

Capt. Bill Dwenger
Shelbyville Police Department
Indiana

Instant hit via LeadsOnline leads police to violent robber

“During the investigation of a violent robbery, a key witness identified the main suspect by first name and phone number only. All local databases were checked with no success in identifying this suspect. Detective Jeff VanderVeer, the lead investigator, requested that I run the phone number through LeadsOnline. This resulted in the identification of the suspect.”

Det. B Clary
City of Federal Way Police Department
Washington

Suspect flees state lines and caught by LeadsOnline

“While working an assault case, the victim stated her car was stolen in a neighboring county, but when it was recovered, none of her belongings were in the vehicle. The victim had a suspect name but did not know who stole her vehicle. The victim provided me with the serial number for her laptop that was in the vehicle when it was stolen. I ran the serial number through LeadsOnline and found where the laptop had been sold across the state line in Tennessee. The person who sold her laptop was the suspect she believed stole her car. I forwarded the information to the detective in the neighboring county who was able to recover the laptop and obtain warrants on the offender. The person who was arrested when the vehicle was recovered was not who the victim suspected of stealing her vehicle. With the laptop being sold in another state, the person who actually stole the vehicle would not have been arrested, and this case would not have been solved without the assistance of LeadsOnline.”

Det. Tim Busby
Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office
Georgia

Suspect arrested for stealing engraved ring during aggravated assault

“While using LeadsOnline, I noticed suspicious activity when a man in his early 20’s sold an engraved ring with the words ’35 years of service’ written on it. I forwarded the descriptors of the ring to our crime analyst in order to run the ring through our database to see if it was reported in any crimes. I was informed the ring was taken during an aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. Thanks to LeadsOnline I obtained a photo and all descriptors of the seller for further investigation. After further investigation, the complainant identified the seller as the suspect in the crime, and the male was charged.”

Officer Mayra Seay
Houston Police Department
Texas

LeadsOnline helps secure a life without parole conviction for Capital Murder

“The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office recently secured a life without parole conviction for a Capital Murder charge. The suspect stole items from the residence and the victim’s items were located using LeadsOnline. This ultimately resulted in the issuance of a Capitol Murder Warrant. The suspect was located in a neighboring county and taken into custody without incident, within 72 hours of the offense.”

Sgt. Corley Weatherford
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office
Texas

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