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The combined company provides industry-leading technologies to help local, federal and international law enforcement agencies advance criminal investigations faster

Read the full press release here

April 28, 2022

PLANO, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–LeadsOnline, LLC, today has announced the completion of its acquisition of Business Watch International, Inc. (or “BWI”) to provide law enforcement with expanded coverage and enhanced tools to advance cases faster and deliver justice to more victims. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

LeadsOnline, a nationwide provider of data, technology and intelligence tools used by law enforcement agencies, investigators, and businesses, looks to Business Watch International to expand and enrich its data and capabilities for advancing criminal investigations in the United States and Canada. Over time, LeadsOnline and BWI will seamlessly integrate systems to provide a more robust and advanced experience for law enforcement officers and business users under the LeadsOnline brand. LeadsOnline will maintain separate U.S. and Canadian businesses to comply with local laws.

“The combination of LeadsOnline and BWI will provide investigators with a more comprehensive network of information where it will become increasingly difficult for criminals to hide. With this acquisition, LeadsOnline will have the ability to provide an elevated level of service and commitment to law enforcement,” said Ashley Sacrider, COO, LeadsOnline. “This is a massive win for investigators across the country and the communities they serve.”

“Business Watch International has served law enforcement dutifully over the past 25 years, frequently playing instrumental roles in the return of stolen items to victims and helping law enforcement bring countless criminals to justice. We are so proud of the work we have done and are enthusiastic about the opportunity to be a part of the LeadsOnline family,” said Dion McArthur, CEO of Business Watch International. “We believe strongly that the combination of our two companies will make more victims whole and break cycles of crime across local communities.” Dion will serve as a Senior Advisor to the LeadsOnline team to ensure a smooth transition for BWI’s client agencies and reporting businesses.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring these two companies together. In times of increasing crime and decreasing manpower, law enforcement needs systems with accurate, timely, and comprehensive intel to advance cases faster and farther than before. We are confident this acquisition will do meaningful good in the advancement of peace and justice in the United States and Canada,” said Alex Finley, CEO, LeadsOnline. “Dion and BWI have devoted decades to this work, and we’re thrilled about the opportunity take it forward.”

Stikeman Elliot and Kirkland & Ellis served as legal counsel and Baker Tilley as financial advisor to LeadsOnline.

About LeadsOnline

LeadsOnline is a powerful digital platform that helps law enforcement investigators and analysts advance criminal cases through the most current data on people and property across the U.S., and helps businesses reduce the hassles of reporting. Law enforcement agencies of every size and mandate use LeadsOnline to find elusive suspects, stolen items, and patterns of individual and organized criminal activity. Businesses, including pawn shops, secondhand stores, scrap metal recyclers and online marketplaces trust LeadsOnline more than any other system to freely, frictionlessly, and safely report transaction information to law enforcement. LeadsOnline is based in Plano, TX. For more information, please visit www.leadsonline.com.

About Business Watch International, Inc.

BWI provides law enforcement with an internet-based data management computer system for pawn, secondhand, precious metal, and scrap metal businesses. The system helps recover stolen property to the rightful owner while cutting down investigation time for law enforcement officers across both the U.S. and Canada. Business Watch International operates regionally in the United States and provides ‘coast to coast’ service in Canada.

Contacts
Customer Inquiries
US Customers – support@leadsonline.com or support@bwiusa.com
Canadian customers – communications@leadsonline.ca or support@businesswatch.ca

Media
For LeadsOnline:
Kaitlyn Jayroe
communications@leadsonline.com

February 18, 2022

By Dylan Suttles

ALTON — City officials are looking to use a tool approved by the county nearly three years ago to address the sale of stolen goods.

At Tuesday’s committee of the whole meeting, aldermen will discuss amending Tile Four, Chapter 10, Sections 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 of the Alton city code of ordinances to create a new chapter called “Pawnbrokers and Secondhand Sellers.”

In March 2019, the Madison County Board approved an ordinance requiring pawn and second-hand stores to electronically submit lists of items taken in. Those businesses were required to participate in the LeadsOnline system, in which dealers daily upload information on items that law enforcement agencies can access.

Officials said most of the pawnbrokers in Alton already use the LeadsOnline system and the resolution is catching the city up with the county ordinance.

According to the proposed resolution, Alton Police have found that identifying and retrieving stolen goods from pawnbrokers and secondhand sellers — as well as identifying the people who sold the stolen items — can be a “difficult and labor-intensive” task. The resolution says the city’s use of LeadsOnline would give Alton Police the ability to determine when stolen goods are sold on Ebay, in pawn shops and in secondhand stores such as Gamestop.

The ordinance would require pawnshops and secondhand buyers in Alton to register with LeadsOnline and record the name, address, date of birth and a government ID card of any pawner or customer. They also would be required to take a photo of any item and record identifying information, such as serial number, description and color.

Alton Police would pay for the LeadsOnline registration, with no costs to pawnbrokers or secondhand dealers. Pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers who fail to comply with the Alton ordinance could face a $500 fine for the first offense and a $1,000 fine for each subsequent violations.

The ordinance would not apply to the sale of used vehicles or to donations to charitable organizations for resale.

Also on Tuesday, aldermen are scheduled to discuss:

• The closure of Broadway to facilitate a “Fat Tuesday Survival” event 5-9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1.
• Amending the city nuisance code pertaining to assault and battery; possession, manufacture or delivery of methamphetamine; and violation of the Litter Control Act.
• Authorizing a letter of intent with Student Athletes Leading Tomorrow to improve the tennis courts on the southern end of Rock Spring Park.
• Making improvements to College Avenue from Pullman Street to Johnson Street; Rock Spring Drive from Memorial Drive to College Avenue; Johnson Street from College Avenue to Tremont Street; and College Avenue from Johnson Street to Pleasant Street.

Source: https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Aldermen-to-discuss-secondhand-sellers-16930643.php

February 11, 2022

By Brian Petersheim Jr

A Maricopa man has been charged with allegedly stealing his ex-girlfriend’s engagement ring and pawning it.

According to police documents, on January 20, the suspect, Jamaude T. Williamson, 45, was originally arrested and charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

After Williamson’s arrest, additional charges were added, including trafficking stolen property and theft.

On Jan. 26, six days after Williamson’s arrest, his ex-girlfriend reported to police that her engagement ring was missing and told police that she believed Williamson had taken the ring while he was moving out.

According to a probable cause statement, the victim said that she bought the ring for about $3,000 after taxes.

After a search through an online database, police discovered that the ring was pawned by Williamson at Maricopa Jewelry and Pawn, located at 20800 North John Wayne Parkway Suite 109, on Jan. 18, two days before his arrest.

The database showed that Williamson received $400 for the ring, police say.

Source: https://www.inmaricopa.com/police-update-theft-charges-added-after-false-imprisonment-arrest/

January 23, 2022

By Chuck Morris

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) – An employee with a company that cleans cars at Nashville International Airport has been charged with theft after he was arrested on outstanding felony warrants.

Police said Antonio Howse, 33, was arrested on Jan. 12 and found to be in possession of a stolen firearm which he confessed to taking from a valet vehicle at the airport. He was working with Steam Jet Nashville, which is tasked with detailing vehicles parked in valet at the airport at the vehicle owner’s request.

During the investigation, police queried through an online pawn database, police discovered Howse pawned a ring for $100 at a Nashville pawn shop on Nov. 13, 2021. Christina Wulforst reported her engagement ring was stolen from her vehicle parked at the airport between Nov. 9 and Nov. 13. Wulforst identified the ring as hers from a photo

Howse was charged with theft for allegedly taking the ring, valued at $4,700, from the vehicle.

Source: https://www.wsmv.com/news/davidson_county/valet-detailing-company-employee-charged-with-theft-from-vehicle-parked-at-airport/article_f0053a6a-7c82-11ec-873c-b7d2b69b98e5.html?block_id=998344

January 7, 2022

OLK CITY, Iowa — Roughly 26 years after it was stolen, a shotgun is back in the hands of its rightful owner in Polk City.

Keith Lister now has his Remington 870 after it was found in Arkansas.

Polk City Police say they received a call in early December from the Mena, Arkansas Police Department saying they had a gun that was stolen from Polk City. The Mena Police Department was notified after a pawn shop put the serial number of a gun through a nationwide reporting system to see if it was stolen.

After it was transferred between departments, it was given back to Lister on Wednesday.

“He was surprised, to say the least, when our department called and told him his gun was found 26 years later,” the department posted on Facebook.

Also in the photo is Sgt. Bode who was the lead on the case, who the department invited back for when it was reunited.

“This happened almost 26 years ago. And, you know, we held on to everything here at the police department and they, you know, they were entered as stolen. So, that was never gonna go away until they’re recovered,” Chief Jeremy Siepker said.

No suspects have been named in the case, so that part of it is still open.

Siepker also said this is a reminder to write down the serial numbers of guns owned the in event one is stolen. Without the serial number written down, this reuniting would have never happened, he said.

Source: https://www.kcci.com/article/polk-city-iowa-arkansasgun-stolen-from-returned-26-years-later/38697623

October 27, 2021

By Selwyn Harris

A local woman was arrested and taken into custody on numerous charges following a grand larceny investigation.

As stated in a Nye County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Deputy Landen Rowland was dispatched to a residence along Steptoe Street earlier this month to investigate a report of theft.

Upon arrival, Rowland made contact with the 68-year-old victim who provided a list of rings that the woman believed to be stolen.

The approximate value of the rings was $10,000, according to the sheriff’s office.

“The rings were stolen from a lockbox inside of the victim’s room,” Rowland’s report stated. “The lockbox could be unlocked by a key that was kept inside the victim’s room.”

The report went on to say that the victim provided a detailed written statement with specifics on each of the rings that had been allegedly stolen, along with a photograph of one of the stolen rings.

Online assistance

Upon further investigation, the descriptions of the rings allegedly pawned by the suspect, identified as Mikaley Boulden, 19, were similar to what was identified on a website known by law enforcement as LeadsOnline.

The website provides technology services to assist law enforcement with catching suspected criminals.

“The victim stated that she was letting Mikaley Boulden stay in her home for a few months,” Rowland’s report stated. “She claimed that Mikaley Boulden knew where the lockbox and key were located and that she had no permission to open it or enter the victim’s room. The victim also stated that Mikaley Boulden purchased some Christmas gifts recently for her family, but has no income, which the victim found suspicious.”

Hard evidence

Additionally, Rowland’s report noted that Boulden initially stated that she had no involvement.

“A LeadsOnline search of Mikaley Boulden’s name and date of birth showed that she had in fact pawned the rings described by the victim at SuperPawn, located at 671 South Highway 160. LeadsOnline showed that Mikaley Boulden provided an identification card and had received approximately $1,500 for six rings. Mikaley was questioned again about her involvement with the missing rings. Mikaley Boulden admitted that she did in fact take rings from the victim without her permission. Mikaley stated she misplaced one and pawned the rest.”

Several charges filed

As a result of the investigation, Rowland determined that Boulden allegedly stole items from the victim with a reported value of $10,000.

“These items were sold for $1,500, and were consistent with grand larceny,” according to the arrest report. “Mikaley Boulden and the victim had separate rooms within the home. Mikaley Boulden unlawfully entered the victim’s room and opened her jewelry lockbox with the intent to commit grand or petty larceny consistent with burglary. Mikaley Boulden knowingly had in her possession the stolen rings from the Steptoe Street residence and pawned them at SuperPawn, receiving money from stolen rings in violation of possession of stolen property. Mikaley Boulden entered SuperPawn, provided her identification card, to sell the stolen rings and obtain money under false pretenses consistent with burglary and obtaining money under false pretenses.”

Boulden was transported to the Nye County Detention Center, where her bail was set at $30,000.

Source: https://pvtimes.com/news/local-woman-suspected-of-grand-larceny-burglary-106012/

October 27, 2021

By Jesse Wells

INDIANAPOLIS — Criminal charges were filed this week against an employee at UPS accused of stealing over $100,000 in jewelry and other valuable metals.

The case began when a manager at the UPS Distribution Center on 86th Street noticed an employee allegedly stealing shipping boxes starting in September. IMPD was then asked to investigate leading to the suspect being arrested.

At the end of his late-night shift, police claim a UPS truck driver would repeatedly enter high-value trailers and steal boxes of expensive jewelry.

“He knew what to look for and he would grab the packages he wanted and take them out of the facility,” said IMPD Detective Keith Hartman.

Detective Hartman with IMPD’s Criminal Interdiction Section says the suspect would then pawn the stolen items either at an exchange business in Greenwood or he’d go online and sell them to a jewelry store in Florida.

“I don’t know if there was a negotiation of price, but they would determine the value and send him back a certified check,” said Hartman.

Court records describe how detective Hartman helped set up a sting operation and caught 40-year-old Dennis Butterfield in the act, stealing boxes from UPS last week.

In addition to theft, Butterfield is also facing two drug-related charges for allegedly possessing pills without a prescription.

“A lot of this jewelry was for repair so it’s not just the monetary value. The sentimental value can be greater. So I’m glad some of these victims are getting their belongings back,” said Hartman.

In fact, police believe Butterfield stole around $140,00 in items. Some were recovered, but many pieces still remain missing.

“I’ve never done a jewelry case until this one,” admits Hartman.

While the jewelry bust is rare, Hartman hopes it sends a simple message to would-be thieves everywhere.

“You never know who’s watching you,” said Hartman.

Butterfield was able to post a small cash bond and was released from jail pending trial.

He’s due in court for an initial hearing next month.

Source: https://fox59.com/news/ups-driver-accused-of-stealing-over-100k-in-jewelry-valuable-metals/

Nichols Hills man charged, sought

August 5, 2021

By Jeannie Grimes

A Nichols Hills man is believed responsible for a rash of church burglaries, including the January break-in at Johnson Road Baptist Church.

Sterling C. Morris, 35, is charged in McClain County District Court with second degree burglary, injuring a church or contents and pattern of criminal offenses.

An arrest warrant is outstanding.

According to an affidavit, the church was ransacked and burglarized on January 15.

Stolen were musical and sound equipment, electronics, kitchenware, computers, DVR recording system and cameras, and tools.

The McClain County Sheriff’s Department located some of the stolen items along I-35 northbound near mile marker 100.

Police used LeadsOnline, a web-based tool for law enforcement, and located three speakers, a sound board and Black & Decker hedge trimmers which Morris reportedly pawned in Norman on January 20.

Serial numbers had been removed from the speakers and soundboard.

Then on January 27, police were contacted by the Garvin County Sheriff’s Department about a church burglary suspect they had just caught following a pursuit in which he wrecked the vehicle he was driving.

When the undersheriff confirmed the suspect in custody was Morris, police attempted to interview him. But he refused to answer their questions, according to the affidavit.

Police contacted Morris’ father who said his son was driving the older man’s pickup in Garvin County.

He also said Morris didn’t live with him, but was storing property at the father’s place in Oklahoma City.

The son had placed a digital lock on the garage and the father didn’t have access to it. Additional items were stored in a bedroom and in the back yard, according to the affidavit.

Police executed a search warrant at the father’s residence, recovering an “immense amount of property” believed stolen from area churches.

The churches include Johnson Road Baptist Church, Go Church in Norman, New Hope Church in Oklahoma City, First Baptist Church in Mustang, Tri-City Worship Center in Newcastle, Vamoosa Baptist Church in Konawa, First Baptist Church in Minco, Bethany Church in Bethany, and St. John’s Nepomuk Church and Vision Church, both in Yukon.

Investigating agencies in addition to Purcell Police Department include police departments in Norman, Oklahoma City, Mustang, Newcastle, Minco, Bethany and Yukon, as well as the Seminole County Sheriff’s Department.

Source: http://www.purcellregister.com/stories/church-burglaries,32963

DES MOINES, IOWA — Thursday, June 10, 2021 — A new automated pawn record system implemented by the Des Moines Police Department has significantly improved the process of reporting and finding stolen goods.

LeadsOnline is the nation’s largest online investigation system and provides access to transactions from thousands of reporting businesses. The LeadsOnline platform provides investigators with detailed transaction information, photos, thumbprint scans and digital signatures. Likewise, the investigations system allows police to work across jurisdictional lines, providing instant information that helps solve cases.

“Not only has transitioning to LeadsOnline allowed us to better assist the victims of crimes, but it has also given local businesses the capabilities to streamline the reporting process,” Lt. Chad Steffen of the DMPD’s Crimes Against Persons Section said. “Converting to LeadsOnline has improved our department’s chances of locating and recovering more of the stolen property that is being taken out of Des Moines.”

In its first five months of use, LeadsOnline has helped solve crimes against businesses, churches and schools. Likewise, it has played an instrumental role in exposing theft rings and resolving residential burglaries.

Much of this success is thanks to LeadsOnline’s Citizen Property Inventory System, ReportIt. Within this system, each Des Moines resident is allowed to register up to 100 different articles. These entries are only visible to the DMPD in the case that they are reported as missing.

Registering items in LeadsOnline allows residents to provide valuable information to both law enforcement and insurance companies in the case that they happen to be the victim of a property crime. This information could mean the difference between recovering stolen property or losing it forever.

To register items, visit reportit.leadsonline.com. Registration is a hassle-free process that requires only two elements: description and categorization. You are also allowed to upload additional information, including serial numbers, date of purchase and photos.

To learn more about ReportIt and how to register your property, visit https://www.dsm.city/departments/police-division/investigations/reportit.php

Source: https://www.dsm.city/news_detail_T2_R412.php

November 9, 2020

By Trish Choate

Police have zeroed in on a theft ring of six people working together to steal computers, electronics, groceries, hygiene items, sporting goods and more this year, according to court records.

Davon Ramon Blue, Keelan Michael Carter and Ethan Cole Ashley have been charged with engaging in organized criminal activity-theft in connection with a theft ring suspected of stealing about $5,000 of merchandise from a local Walmart, according to court records.

A Wichita County grand jury indicted 19-year-old Blue and 18-year-old Carter Wednesday in connection with incidents on Feb. 8, according to court records. The indictment shows bonds of $20,000 each for them.

Blue and Carter were free Monday from Wichita County Jail, according to online jail records.

On Oct. 21, a Wichita County grand jury indicted 18-year-old Ashley on a charge of engaging in organized criminal activity-theft, court filings show. The indictment set Ashley’s bond at $20,000.

He was free Monday from jail, according to court records.

Engaging in organized criminal activity-theft of over $2,500 to under $30,000 is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

A search of online Wichita County court records and online jail records Monday in Odyssey did not turn up arrests or indictments for the other three suspects in connection with the incidents.

Affidavits for arrest warrants gave this account of allegations:

Between Feb. 8 and Feb. 15, six people operated a theft ring to steal about $4,734 from the Walmart Supercenter in the 3100 block of Lawrence Road.

They took on different roles in a conspiracy to swipe a range of items from computers to hygiene products in eight incidents.

They stole from Walmart on Feb. 8, Feb 9, Feb. 11, Feb. 13, Feb. 14 and Feb. 15.

Video surveillance showed Blue selecting items, removing security devices, taking the items from the store and loading them into vehicles.

Blue was present for at least three thefts, chose items to steal for all of them and pushed the shopping cart out for at least one.

Ashley is also caught on video picking out things to steal, removing them from Walmart, putting them in a vehicle and driving a suspect vehicle.

Ashley was present for about four thefts, selected items during two and drove in at least four.

Documents show at least three suspects pawned stolen goods at a local pawnshop.

Leadsonline.com shows Blue pawned four stolen items at the shop, including a sound bar, a TV and a desktop computer. Ashley pawned a desktop computer.

Source: https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/2020/11/09/indictments-police-bust-theft-ring-wichita-falls/6223327002/

October 17, 2020

By Lynnanne Nguyen

GARLAND, Texas – A woman has been arrested after being linked to a Lewisville retirement home theft.

Police say she stole from the elderly while pretending to administer a follow-up COVID-19 test.

Police say they are trying to figure out how long she may have been doing this, but Garland police say she committed a similar crime in September and has been pawning the jewelry she stole.

Back on Sept. 14, Garland police say Laketa Calhoun visited a resident at an assisted living facility called Brookdale Club Hill.

According to police, Calhoun told the resident she needed to collect a urine sample and used the distraction to steal more than a thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry from the resident’s apartment.

Lewisville police say Calhoun works for Medical Lab Partners and used a similar story to distract multiple residents at Discovery Village at Castle Hills in Lewisville last week, telling residents there they needed to be retested for COVID-19.

Garland police say they were able to identify Calhoun through a pawn shop where she pawned some stolen items.

“We have a database in which we look into pawn shops and see if there were any kind of property that had been pawned there,” said Garland Police Officer Felicia Jones. “That’s how we were able to locate her on video pawning property that did belong to our victim.”

Lewisville police say Calhoun has confessed to the crimes she committed at Discovery Village.

One of the victim’s grandson says his family was able to help police identify one of his grandmother’s anniversary rings from a local pawn shop, but they fear the rest of the jewelry that was stolen is gone.

Reps for Medical Lab Partners say Calhoun was fired last Thursday when police contacted them about the thefts.

Source: https://www.fox4news.com/news/lab-testing-worker-confesses-to-stealing-from-senior-citizens-at-lewisville-retirement-home

October 14, 2020

By Mark Reagan

The McAllen Police Department accuses a 45-year-old Edinburg woman of stealing more than $10,000 from a residence where she worked as a provider.

Authorities arrested Sylvia Angelica Medina on Sunday and charged her with theft, more than $2,500 but less than $10,000, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The alleged theft occurred on June 20 in the 3800 block of Umar Avenue.

The investigation began after the complainant called police to report that someone stole about $13,250 worth of jewelry.

“(She) stated that she placed all of her belongings in the garage, including a stand up jewelry box which contained all of her jewelry,” the probable cause affidavit states.

On June 20, she told police that she noticed the jewelry was missing, authorities say.

“(She) stated that she suspects her mother’s provider, Sylvia Angelica Medina, stole her jewelry,” the probable cause affidavit states.

Police say the complainant provided receipts for the jewelry, which included a 10-karat white gold men’s diamond band valued at $2,999.99; a 10-karat rose gold crown necklace with lab-created sapphires valued at $134.25; a 14-karat gold Le Vian chocolate diamond tiara ring valued at $1,124.25; a 14-karat white gold Vera Wang princess-cut diamond engagement ring valued at $4,320; a 14-karat white gold sapphire enhancer ring valued at $1,449.50; and an Elisa rose gold multi-strand necklace valued at $88.

The detective assigned to the case says he contacted Medina to see if she would come to the police station to provide a statement.

“Sylvia stated that she was out of town in Galveston, Texas and she won’t return until Wednesday 7/8/2020. I asked Sylvia if she ever had to go into the garage at any moment during her duties,” the probable cause affidavit states.

According to that document, Medina told the detective she once had to go into the garage to fix a load of laundry that had been improperly placed in the washer.

The detective again contacted Medina on July 9 and she said she would not return to the Rio Grande Valley until July 15, according to the charging document.

“I checked Sylvia’s pawn activity on LeadsOnline which showed that she made a pawn on 7/5/2020 in Edinburg, Texas indicating that she was dishonest with me,” the probable cause affidavit states.

The detective says in that document that he went to the Piedad Pawn Shop in Edinburg and obtained a ticket showing Medina pawned a “10K WG 9.6 grams cluster ring” and a “14K 4.36 crown ring” on July 23.

“The second item matched the description of the crown ring that was stolen. I contacted Sylvia and asked if she had yet returned. Sylvia stated that she is still up in the Houston area because she had another surgery a few days ago and is still recovering,” the probable cause affidavit states.

That’s when the detective says he told Medina that he knew the truth about the Piedad Pawn Shop.

“Sylvia remained silent on the line for an extended period of time, and then said she would talk to me about all of this when she returns to town on around 8/17/2020,” the affidavit states.

The detective then says in the charging document that he went to Medina’s mother’s house and was told the woman was not in Houston at all, but was in Georgia and had left on July 30.

A few days later, on Aug. 3, Medina contacted the detective and, according to the affidavit, said she knew she did wrong and was willing to pay the consequences, but needed to know what was going to happen to her.

“Sylvia stated that she did not have the jewelry with her. Sylvia stated that no one at her house knows what she did, and she doesn’t want them to know about it,” the probable cause affidavit states.

On Aug. 5, police say Medina went to the police station and returned four of the six items.

Medina has two previous theft cases from 1994 and 1995, both misdemeanors, records show.

Court records indicate she was found guilty in the 1995 case and reflect that the 1994 case was deferred.

The records are not available online.

Medina bailed out on a $10,000 cash bond on Monday, records show.

Source: https://www.themonitor.com/2020/10/14/edinburg-woman-accused-stealing-10k-jewelry-home-worked/

September 9, 2020

By Cheyanne Conboy

25-year-old Joseph Stubblefield was charged with aggravated burglary ten months after police verified that he pawned golf clubs which were reported stolen by his grandfather.

On November 11th, 2019, Goodlettsville Police Officer Stephen Hodges spoke with Donald Stubblefield regarding items stolen from his property. Donald advised police that he had to remove some items including a golf club from his vehicle in order to give his friends a ride to the airport. He stored them in the utility room of his home and when he returned home he went straight to bed. The next day he found damage to the exterior door of the utility room, and his golf clubs were missing. Donald reported that the missing golf bag contained a full set of irons, drivers, a putter, a range finder, golf balls, and a Bulova wristwatch. He stated that the total estimated value for the contents of the golf bag was $2,000 and that his grandson, Joseph Stubblefield, may be involved.

He told police that Joseph had lived with him previously, but had been evicted due to his drug addiction and previous theft of property. Officer Hodges searched Joseph’s full name in Leads Online to verify his pawn history and discovered that he had attempted to pawn golf clubs on November 7th, 2019 at Easy Pawn located at 840 Madison Square. Two days later Officer Hodges took photos of the golf clubs at Easy Pawn, and Donald Stubblefield was able to positively identify the items.

On September 7th, Joseph Stubblefield was arrested and charged with aggravated burglary. He is currently jailed in lieu of a $15,000 bond.

Source: https://www.scoopnashville.com/2020/09/burglar-detained-10-months-after-attempting-to-pawn-stolen-golf-clubs/

June 23, 2020

Joshua Carney

Gary Rosine can’t quite remember where he was parked or what vehicle he was driving one night in December 1982, but he certainly remembers the specific hunting rifle stolen from his vehicle 38 year ago.

“It was a Remington 700 .270, and I had just purchased it,” Rosine said from his home in Fairplay. “I still had the box and receipt and everything.”

Fortunately for Rosine, a former Craig resident and Tri-State Generation and Transmissions employee, having that receipt with the serial number on it helped Moffat County Investigator Gary Nichols reunite the rifle with its original owner last week after a tip from leadsonline.com, which located the stolen rifle at a pawn shop in Great Falls, Montana.

Nichols says he received a call from an investigator with the website in July 2019, alerting him to the whereabouts of the rifle. Leads is the largest investigative service based in Dallas and uses technology to help law enforcement track down stolen property and identify suspects.

“Once I received the tip I contacted the pawn shop in Great Falls and asked them if they had this specific rifle with this serial number,” Nichols said. “They said that they had it, so I told them not to get rid of it.”

After some back and forth between the pawn shop and investigators, the shop gave Nichols the name of the man who had pawned the rifle. The pawn shop told Nichols the man had pawned the rifle some 15 times since 2012.

“I was able to contact him and found out that he had received the rifle from a friend’s family after his friend had died in 1998,” Nichols said. “That’s as far back as I could trace the rifle, which is clearly not to 1982.”

After getting some backstory on the rifle from the man who had pawned it, Nichols told him he wouldn’t be getting the rifle back, and then contacted an investigator in Great Falls to help place an administrative hold on the rifle for 30 days.

From there, Great Falls Police Department picked up the gun and shipped it to Nichols, who then reconnected with Rosine.

“I knew Gary from back then. We were acquaintances,” Nichols said. “So it was nice to have a bit of a reunion with him and return the gun to him.”

“I never thought I’d see it again,” Rosine said. “I mean, what are the odds? For it to be out there that long and then to get it back? That’s pretty cool.”

“It’s always great to help the victim out in situations like this and return stolen property to them,” added Nichols, who recently made a trip to Brighton to recover a stolen four-wheeler from Moffat County. “It was especially great since I know Gary personally. I like to help the victim in whatever way we can. Fortunately, it worked out very well in this case.

“It’s certainly the coldest case I’ve worked on.”

After being reunited with his rifle last week, Rosine says he hasn’t had a chance to take the gun out to shoot it, but he plans on it here soon.

“It’s still in good shape,” Rosine said. “It’s definitely still useable. The stock was modified over the years, so I’ll have to replace that, but it still looks much like it did back then.”

Source: https://www.craigdailypress.com/news/i-never-thought-id-see-it-again-hunting-rifle-stolen-from-former-craig-resident-in-1982-reunited-38-years-later/

May 6, 2020

By Briana Nespral

Gainesville, Fla. — A Gainesville man is wanted for allegedly dealing in stolen property. Now deputies want him off the streets.

Andrew Sanchez says he was going for a jog with his friends when he left his bike locked up on campus. Five hours later, his bike was gone. Alachua County deputies say 36-year-old Jasson Secreto cut the lock off and then sold it at a nearby pawn shop.

“I was upset that my bike was stolen obviously because I really liked my bike,” said Andrew Sanchez.

Deputies say Secreto went through all of this trouble for just $50 from the pawn shop.

“Fortunately, the owner had an identification tag from the university and they were able to track that bicycle back to the registered owner, who had not given the suspect permission to cut his bicycle lock and pawn this bicycle,” said Art Forgey, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.

Luckily, at most pawn shops, all information is recorded in a statewide database that law enforcement has access to. This helped UFPD positively identify the thief.

“Obviously, with a drug and theft prior history, he has not reformed and he’s going to probably continue to take stuff that does not belong to him and pawn it or sell it until we can take him into custody where he won’t be able to do that,” said Forgey.

Jasson Secreto is 36 years old, 5’7″, and weighs about 180 lbs. If you have any information regarding his whereabouts, you are asked to call CrimeStoppers at 352-372-STOP.

Source: https://mycbs4.com/news/wanted-wednesdays/wanted-wednesday-man-wanted-for-petit-theft-and-dealing-in-stolen-property

April 17, 2020

Rochester, N.Y. – The federal government is looking to seize four luxury vehicles and more than $150,000 from the owner of a Dewey Avenue pawn shop charged with re-selling stolen goods.

Devin Tribunella, owner of Royal Crown Pawn and Jewelry, is facing federal charges. Prosecutors allege Tribunella and other defendants recruited those suffering from opioid addiction to steal items from retailers. They allegedly bought the stolen items at a fraction of their retail value and then re-sold them online.

Prosecutors say Tribunella knew the items were stolen, and allegedly made false representations in eBay and Amazon user agreements, as well as on the LeadsOnline database.

Tribunella and a Royal Crown employee are accused purchasing and selling more than $3.2 million in stolen goods. Prosecutors say Tribunella used more than $2,995,000 in proceeds to buy items such sports cars and jewelry.

The government says it’s looking to seize the following from Tribunella:

A 2008 Lamborghini
A 2014 Rolls Royce
A 2014 Mercedes Benz
A 2015 Porsche 911
A Rolex watch
A Patek Phillipe diamond-encrusted watch
A gold Cartier bracelet
A 14-karat, 21-ct diamond tennis chain and tennis bracelet
A 14-karat diamond cross
A 14-karat, 41.5-ct. Diamond necklace
More than $148,000 from two PayPal accounts
More than $7,100 from a Canandaigua National Bank and Trust account

Tribunella is facing charges including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, selling and conspiring to sell stolen goods across state lines, engaging in financial transactions involving the proceeds of an unlawful activity and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

He was arrested back in November, along with four others, in connection with investigations tied to two separate pawn shops. Royal Crown employee Wade Shadders was also charged, while Thomas Nary, Eric Finnefrock and Ralph Swain were charged in connection with an investigation at Rochester Pawn and Gold. Nary owned that business, and Finnefrock and Swain were employees. Prosecutors say, between January 2015 and August 2019, the Rochester Pawn and Gold suspects resold nearly $12.5 million in stolen goods.

According to court documents, Royal Crown was allowed to remain open for a year, despite not having a valid license. Tribunella’s attorney, James Doyle, says the pawn shop remained open as the feds and police conducted an investigation.

“We’re talking about 16 months,” Doyle said in February. “If you’re saying this business was killing people with respect to overdoses, aren’t you complicit? Do you not have a part in that?”

Greece Police Chief Patrick Phelan said the punishment is a ticket and a fine, and that police cannot shut down a business for such an offense.

Four local violations from breaking town code were dismissed against Tribunella in February. As part of the agreement, Tribunella is barred from operating a pawn shop in Greece without a valid license.

Source: https://13wham.com/news/local/feds-want-to-seize-luxury-cars-jewelry-from-owner-accused-in-pawn-shop-scheme

By Hunter Diehl Challis

Patrol Cpl. Crissi Gilchrist with the Custer County Sheriff’s Department has had her hands on Leads Online for about four months, and she said the more familiar she gets with the tracking software the more she realizes what a valuable tool it is.

“Anything that’s been stolen, that we know has a serial number, can be entered into this system,” Gilchrist said.

“It already paid for itself in the first week we had it by getting all the stuff that was stolen from Allied,” Sheriff Stu Lumpkin said, referring to a Jan. 3 burglary at Allied Builders Supply in Challis.

Gilchrist said she got the serial numbers of what was stolen from the store, put them in Leads Online and almost immediately discovered they had been pawned in Cheyenne, Wyoming, by Zachary James. She contacted the Cheyenne Police Department and officers retrieved the stolen property and are holding it as evidence.

“We were able to hit the ticket the pawn shop entered and that’s how we knew he had taken those items,” Gilchrist said.

Since Leads Online was able to identify which pawn shop James used, Gilchrist said she was able to get in contact with the shop staff. They were able to supply video of James pawning the items, his current address, his phone number and driver’s license number.

“That’s the benefit of it,” Gilchrist said, referring to how quickly she was able to gather the information on James with Leads Online.

Sheriff Lumpkin said the price for using Leads Online was a little more $1,000 for a partial year subscription. However, he said it is so useful that he plans to make it a permanent addition to his crime-fighting arsenal.

Along with Leads Online, Lumpkin has also had Gilchrist explore other online ways of tracking stolen property. She has spent several weeks familiarizing herself with Carfax, a website that can find cars based on partial license plate numbers.

As time goes on, Lumpkin said he might have other deputies learn to use the new software. For right now, though, he said Gilchrist will take the lead with Leads Online and Carfax.

March 13, 2020

By Meredith Colias-Pete

Two Hammond siblings face charges after allegedly being seen on camera pawning stolen parts from a neighboring warehouse, documents show.

Police allege they did so while living in an adjacent business unit owned by the woman’s boyfriend’s father who recently died, records say.

Amoreena Hall, 44, and Isreal Hall, 40, are charged with burglary and corrupt business influence, both level 5 felonies.

Hammond police arrived to write up a burglary report on the 8000 block of New Jersey Avenue in the business park south of the Borman Expressway. The owner said his business, Hydraulic Component Services, rebuilds hydraulic, pneumatic and mechanical parts like pumps, motors, valves and cylinders, he told police.

He noticed brass and equipment missing from the “overflow” warehouse on six weekends between August 2017 and January 2018 including a grinder, air punch, air drill, two air grinders, and a cordless DeWalt drill, charges say.

After thinking an employee was stealing, he set up cameras, which showed a man “climbing up an electrical pipe” attached to the building’s side, removing a corrugated wall panel near the roof and dropping down into his unit, records say.

The owner told police the man lived in the building’s middle unit with another woman and man, charges say. That unit’s former owner, housing a “repair type business” had recently died, police said.

Since then, the son was “using the location as a place to stay” with girlfriend Amoreena Hall and her brother.

In the middle unit, police found a wall panel leading into the far unit, housing Meyer’s Distributors, which also said “numerous items” were stolen in the same time frame, charges say.

That panel was “removed and put back many times”, police said. Inside Meyer’s Distributors, there was access to a ceiling panel up to an attic that spanned the whole building. One the other end, another panel with a “makeshift ladder” dropped down to the Hydraulic Component Services unit, police said.

Through Leads Online, police found “virtually all” of the building’s stolen items sold or pawned to Scrap International, Lake Iron & metal, Super Pawn, EZ Pawn, charges say.

Police spotted Amoreena Hall, occasionally joined by Isreal Hall on camera at pawn shops selling the goods, documents allege. Hall’s boyfriend was not charged.

Both siblings have bonds set at $5,000 cash surety each.

Source: https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-hammond-warehouse-pawn-st-0314-20200313-tih4gvavuvgszcaodjiq6szqyq-story.html

March 12, 2020

By GLOBE NEWSWIRE

SAN FRANCISCO, March 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, The RealReal (REAL)—the world’s largest online marketplace for authenticated, consigned luxury goods—announced it has engaged with LeadsOnline, the nation’s largest online investigation service, to help law enforcement catch criminals who traffic in stolen luxury goods.

The RealReal has a long history of working with local, and where appropriate federal, law enforcement to assist in stolen property investigations. Today it is expanding those efforts to a national level to help prevent the trafficking and sale of stolen luxury goods.

Through the LeadsOnline platform, law enforcement officers now have visibility into The RealReal’s current inventory. Details including product descriptions, serial numbers, imagery, and the date and location of the consignment will all be accessible to verified law enforcement officers. Officers will also have a direct line of communication with The RealReal so the company can further assist with active investigations.

“Working with LeadsOnline to create national transparency around our inventory expands our ability to support law enforcement efforts to stop criminal traffickers of luxury goods,” said Rati Levesque, COO of The RealReal.

About The RealReal, Inc.
The RealReal is the world’s largest online marketplace for authenticated, consigned luxury goods. With a rigorous authentication process overseen by experts, The RealReal provides a safe and reliable platform for consumers to buy and sell their luxury items. We have 150+ in-house gemologists, horologists and brand authenticators who inspect thousands of items each day. As a sustainable company, we give new life to pieces by hundreds of brands, from Gucci to Cartier, supporting the circular economy. We make consigning effortless with free in-home pickup, drop-off service and direct shipping for individual consignors and estates. At our stores in LA, NYC and San Francisco, customers can shop, consign, and meet with our experts. At our 10 Luxury Consignment Offices, four of which are in our retail stores, our expert staff provides free valuations.

The RealReal Press Contact:
Erin Santy
Head of Communications
pr@therealreal.com

Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/realreal-helps-prevent-trafficking-stolen-130010353.html

February 28, 2020

By Saul A. Flores

BULLHEAD CITY — Mohave County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging all residents to use ReportIt.

ReportIt is a free, secure online service that allows citizens to record serial numbers and upload images for phones, electronics and other valuables.

MCSO said that the ReportIt service is a part of LeadsOnline, the online system that works with police departments and law enforcement agencies across the country to track and recover stolen property. MCSO uses LeadsOnline to help track and recover stolen property such as jewelry, sporting equipment, electronics, computers, cameras, designer clothing, collectibles and other items with invaluable personal worth. The system allows deputies to search for the items using a variety of parameters, concluding item descriptions and serial numbers.

When an item is sold to a pawn or second-hand shop, the product information is entered in the LeadsOnline database and is immediately viewable by participating law enforcement agencies across the country.

“ReportIt his an excellent program and I am very pleased to be able to offer it to all residents of Mohave County. This is a modern proactive tool that will easily allow you to catalog information about your valuables. This is a secure site and you can easily add up to 100 items,” said Sheriff Doug Schuster through a prepared statement.

Schuster said that no one will ever have unauthorized access to your information, you can immediately access the information in the case of theft and the list can be shared with law enforcement as well as your insurance carrier.

MCSO said that with the information provided by LeadsOnline, police track down thieves, develop leads in numerous cases and make arrests. Citizens can store an unlimited number of serial numbers, item descriptions, pictures and scans of receipts so items may be more easily identified in the event of theft. The record also may come in handy when filing claims with insurance providers in the event of a loss.

Citizens wanting to participate in ReportIt can register for the free services at reportit.leadsonline.com and begin building their personal property inventory list.

Source: http://www.mohavedailynews.com/news/sheriff-s-office-urging-residents-to-use-online-service-to/article_73cdcfb4-59f9-11ea-a834-8766bc786a52.html

By John Riley

February 6, 2020

Deputies found the tools packed into a storage unit.

HELENA — The Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) has recovered tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools that have been from construction sites in recent months.

The first reports of stolen tools came in around Christmas by a contractor.

Sgt. Chris Weiss was able to locate some of the stolen items a few weeks later through Leads Online, a web-based service operated by pawn shops that helps law enforcement nationwide locate stolen items that were pawned.

“Around the first week of January I came across some tools on Leads Online that matched the description of the victims’ tools,” said Weiss.

Weiss found the person trying to sell the stolen tools, which then led him to another suspect. With search warrants, Weiss was then able to track the location of the tool cache through directions that were on a cell phone.

Deputies found the tools packed into a storage unit.

“As soon as we opened the door, it was probably 90 percent full of tools,” said Weiss. “It was around a 10 foot wide by 20 foot in depth storage shed that was full from the floor to middle height with tools.”

Deputies found the tools from numerous cases across the county, with each victim estimated to have lost at least $10,000.

“These are contractors, this is their livelihood,” said Weiss. “This is what they do to make their income. So when they lose everything they have to go seek insurance, or if they don’t have insurance they have to seek it on their own to replace these tools.”

The tools are still in LCSO custody while the case is open, but Weiss looks forward to getting them back to their owners as soon as possible.

“Every year we suffer break-ins to local business,” said Sheriff Leo Dutton. “The businesses, or construction companies, operate in a narrow profit margin.”

Sheriff Leo Dutton praised Sgt. Weiss his work on this case, specifically for closely paying attention to detail, and for working quickly locating the stolen property.

“The longer we have to look for stolen property, the less likely we are to find it,” explained Dutton. “Often when we’re working with a professional ring, they’ll go to either another town or out of state. If they’re trading it for drugs, they’re gone in the wind.”

LCSO strongly encourages contractors to make sure their tools are locked and secured when they leave a site. Investing in a game cam can also be a good way to identify a potential thief should a break-in occur.

The main suspect of this case is currently in custody and LCSO is recommending three counts of felony theft; the suspect’s name has not yet been released.

Source: https://www.krtv.com/news/crime-and-courts/thousands-of-dollars-worth-of-stolen-tools-recovered-in-lewis-clark-county

By Shirah Matsuzawa

January 9, 2020

In honor of Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, Home Depot thanked the officers who tracked down the stolen tools.

BOISE, Idaho — Organized retail crime cost retailers nearly $778,000 for every $1 billion in sales in 2018, according to a National Retail Federation Survey.

In Boise, the Boise Police Department and Home Depot are working together to fight that crime.

“We have folks that come here from outside the area not knowing what partnerships are in place here, only to find out that when they go in and target one store and then go to another retailer that there’s often officers waiting there to arrest them for the offense that they just committed,” said Boise Police Chief Mike Masterson.

On Thursday, in honor of Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, Home Depot thanked the Boise Police Department after its officers recovered $14,000 worth of stolen tools, most of them power tools.

“It’s easy and quick to get rid of, quick for thieves to sell on the open market for money,” said Home Depot’s Multi Asset Protection Manager Beau Lachance.

“We really enjoy being able to get the merchandise back to the stores because in reality the stores aren’t the only victims, the citizens of Boise are also the victims because in reality the stores are just going to raise its prices if they continue to see these losses,” said Boise Police Department’s Organized Crime Retail Investigator Adam Schloegel.

Which is where pawn shops, like Boise Pawn come in. When someone comes in with an item, owner JT Newton told KTVB, they take note of the serial number.

“It actually goes into a national database called Leads Online and from there that’s 50 states, so whether the item was stolen here or in another state it all goes to the same database, and then from there it goes to the police department,” Newton said.

That’s how police managed to recover these stolen tools.

“If you’re going to steal from our local stores, we will find you,” Schloegel said.

Source: https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/crime/boise-police-stolen-theft-tools-home-depot-recovered-found/277-a1d08139-1dae-45ee-bade-54a989a352e5

By Joe Buchanan

January 6, 2020

BARBOUR COUNTY, W.Va (WDTV) — In December 2018 when Philippi police teamed up with Leads Online to crack down on thieves profiting off stolen goods. 5 News asks a year later; how well has it worked?

“It makes a record of every purchase from a pawn shop or one of those kiosks or a cell phone store,” said Chief Jeff Walters.

Chief Walters says the system enables police to return stolen items.

“Nine times out of ten, when a person steals something they sell it as quick as they can,” said Chief Walters.

If you have something stolen you can report it. Anything from handguns to watches can be reported through the system.

“You can get on LeadsOnline every day and just search Philippi and any person that used the Philippi address it will show what they sold,” said Chief Walters.

You describe the item, any serial numbers and upload any pictures you have.

“A suspect takes something to a pawn shop and tries to pawn it, it will red flag and send us an email notification,” said Chief Walters.

He says his department does not have an exact number of items found with the system.

“I wouldn’t even begin to know, quite a few,” said Chief Walters.

Chief Walters went on to mention an incident where Philippi police tracked down a handgun to a pawn shop in Arizona using the system.

Source: https://www.wdtv.com/content/news/Philippi-Police-say-566759971.html

By Adam Rogan

November 21, 2019

RACINE — A Kenosha man allegedly stole more than $6,200 worth of jewelry, including a single ring worth nearly $4,600, then reportedly sold the ring at a secondhand retail store in Kenosha.

The man — Tyrone Evans, 46, of the 5900 block of 10th Avenue in Kenosha — allegedly took a ring set valued at $6,252.69 (including an engagement ring valued at $4,599) from a Racine home in August 2018. He then sold the ring to a Kenosha pawn shop, according to police.

Evans is also under investigation by the Kenosha Police Department for suspected theft of copper, according to his criminal complaint.

The Racine Police Department reported that the missing ring was recovered after searching Evans’ sales history on LeadsOnline, a database of stolen items that many pawn shops are required to use to help law enforcement recover stolen items.

Evans has been charged with felony theft of movable property. He also has multiple prior convictions related to theft, including burglary and criminal damage to property in 2018 in Kenosha County, burglary in 2010 in Milwaukee County and four counts of burglary in 2006 in Milwaukee County.

A warrant was authorized for Evans’ arrest on March 29 and he first appeared in Racine County court on Wednesday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 15. He remained in custody at the Racine County Jail as of Thursday.

Source: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-accused-of-stealing-engagement-ring-then-selling-it-at/article_8b5387bc-0a6d-52f3-8a26-1c0a8acf6c58.html

By Jake Wasikowski

November 21, 2019

SARPY COUNTY NEB. (KMTV) — — Sarpy and Douglas County authorities are returning stolen construction items to their owners.

Contractors and builders went to the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office to claim their tools or building supplies.

Deputies arrested Brett Nelson, 38, for 8 counts of felony burglary. His bond was set at $50,000 – 10%.

He’s accused of breaking into homes under construction in Southwest Omaha and taking tools, home fixtures, and other items.

The arrest affidavit says since the end of September he went to metro pawn shops 28 times to sell the stolen goods.

“They’re hard working people and they make an honest living and it’s very unfortunate for them to have their items stolen so it’s good to see them get their stuff back,” said Inv. Karen Craig with the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators used “Leads Online,” a tool that quickly identifies sellers and what they’ve sold to different stores.

If you had any tools or home fixtures stolen from a build site in Southwest Omaha contact Sarpy County at 402-593-2304.

Source: https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/scso-about-half-of-stolen-construction-items-claimed

November 5, 2019

By Aaron Sanderford

The Omaha City Council on Tuesday extended by five years the city contract for the database that the Omaha Police Department uses to identify and return stolen property sold to local pawnshops and secondhand stores.

The new, roughly $56,500-a-year deal with Texas-based LeadsOnline means that police and local retailers covered under city ordinance will continue to use the service through 2024.

Police say the system has helped them return more than $1.2 million in stolen property in the three-plus years since the city passed an ordinance requiring stores to log fingerprints, photos and IDs from people selling used items.

Among the items identified and returned: jewelry, electronics, snowblowers, bicycles and sporting goods.

Police sought the extension because they say the software lets them check images and information on items sold to pawnshops and secondhand shops against police reports filed. Investigators then follow up on leads.

Through the end of September, the system helped officers identify and return 1,305 stolen items, according to police. The average value of each of those stolen items: $923, though individual values varied widely.

The sponsor of the ordinance, Councilman Pete Festersen, has said it helps to have criminals know it’s harder to get rid of stolen items in Omaha.

No retailers spoke in opposition to the extension Tuesday.

Source: https://www.omaha.com/news/omaha-city-council-extends-contract-for-police-pawnshops-to-use/article_b85f4c5a-692e-5645-ac25-dd7feef6df6b.html

November 3, 2019

By Jacob Weston

You may want to think about using an online service to make a record of valuables in case you are the victim of theft.

The Goddard Police Department suggests using the ReportIt service, which is free and part of LeadsOnline. This database is used by police across the country to help track and recover stolen property.

“The addition of the free service ReportIt will provide a safe and secure tool for our citizens to inventory and log their valuables. In the event of a theft or disaster, a report can be generated by the owner that will provide a comprehensive list of their items and serial numbers, greatly increasing the chances of recovery.” explains Chief Fred Farris.

LeadsOnline is also used to record items sold at pawn shops, so if a serial number or description matches a stolen item you have a better chance of getting your property back.

You can look into the ReportIt service through the link below.

ReportIt Property Inventory System

Source: https://www.kfdi.com/2019/11/03/goddard-pd-suggests-online-service-to-track-valuables/

October 29, 201

By Chinh Doan

Omaha police say they have recovered $1.2 million in stolen property through an online registration program, but some businesses have privacy concerns.

OMAHA, Neb. — “There are many people who have had jewelry stolen,” said Sgt. Tina Jennum with the Omaha Police Department’s pawn/salvage squad. “Sometimes, we’re able to find that property, and I know they are really grateful because it was their grandmother or grandfather who gave them a watch or a ring, and they’re really happy to get it back. It doesn’t matter the value of it. They just want it back for sentimental reasons.

That’s more than 1,300 items recovered since 2016, when the city started requiring pawn shops and salvage dealers to use a nationwide registration system called LeadsOnline. Second hand shops were also required starting in 2019.

Jennum shared this breakdown at Tuesday’s City Council public hearing:

2016: over 430 items held, valued at $336,000
2017: 293 items held, valued at $330,000
2018: 358 items held, valued at nearly $400,000
2019 (through Sept.): 224 items held, valued at $137,000

The ordinance requires businesses to log sellers’ fingerprints, photos and IDs and hold the items for 14 days before paying the seller.

At the Nov. 5 City Council meeting, members will vote on a five-year contract to continue with LeadsOnline for about $56,000 a year.

Councilman Pete Festersen sponsored the ordinance and told KETV NewsWatch 7 the program is worth it.

“Until now, we haven’t really had that mechanism, so we’re very pleased with the results, and we think it’s deterring burglary and theft throughout the city,” said Festersen.

Sol’s Jewelry and Loan is among the hundreds of Omaha businesses using LeadsOnline, as required by the ordinance.

General manager, John Dineen, told KETV NewsWatch 7 the program saves time for staff and law enforcement.

“Instead of having an officer come out, pick up hard copies and spending those resources, now it’s a straight download,” said Dineen. “The police have them right in their cruisers.”

A few businesses told KETV NewsWatch 7 LeadsOnline hurts their business.

Tom white, who represented two salvage yards, sued the city over privacy concerns. His clients still comply to the ordinance by electronically sending the required information to police directly rather than uploading on LeadsOnline.

“If they, LeadsOnline, had a breach in their security, and that information was taken, they had no liability, leaving you as the business on the hook for the damage done to your own customer,” said White.

Dineen and other supporters of LeadsOnline say the program has been around for years and have not had any security concerns.

Source: https://www.ketv.com/article/omaha-police-have-returned-1-2-million-in-stolen-goods-since-property-crime-law-took-effect-in-2016/29630165

October 18, 2019

By C.P. Thompson

A Hurley man has been accused of stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry from Allen’s Silver City Jewelers and pepper-spraying a clerk last week. Cruz Placencio, 24, was arrested Tuesday and has been charged with five criminal counts.

According to an affidavit for arrest, Placencio allegedly visited Silver City Jewelers twice — once with his girlfriend — on Oct. 8, the day before the robbery. During the visits, he asked to see a catalog and for a showcase to be opened.

The next day, Oct. 9, around 11:54 a.m., Placencio allegedly entered the store wearing a gray sweater, gray sweatpants and black-and-white Adidas shoes, the affidavit states. He pointed a handgun at the clerk and demanded money, while covering his face with his shirt. The clerk gave Placencio the register tray, and he took a $20 bill.

He ordered the clerk to open the showcases, and placed the merchandise — including watches, necklaces and rings — on the counter. Placencio put the merchandise inside a backpack, and also put watches inside his pockets. The report alleges that he then pepper-sprayed the clerk and took off, dropping some watches while leaving the store.

Silver City Police Detective Salvador Quintana told the Daily Press that Placencio was in the store for about two minutes and 45 seconds, during which time he allegedly stole around $60,000 worth of jewelry. Silver City Police Chief Fred Portillo previously told the Daily Press that the clerk received medical attention on the scene, but her injuries were non-life-threatening, and the robber headed west on Market Street after leaving the store.

The clerk said she knew “the guy was trying to disguise his voice, but once the male subject started talking, Cruz Placencio was the first person” who came to mind, police said. The robber and Placencio share the same build, as well.

The affidavit states that a man saw Placencio get into a red two-door pickup on the corner of Arizona and Kelly streets. Surveillance video from Silver City Jewelers shows that Placencio drove an identical vehicle to the front of the store during his visit Oct. 8, the day before the robbery.

An off-duty police officer saw Placencio driving the same vehicle Oct. 14, and tried following it to “have an officer make contact, but lost the truck during the incident,” according to the affidavit. The officer ran the license plate, and determined that the vehicle belonged to Placencio’s mother.

On Oct. 15, around 8:53 a.m., a police officer saw Placencio enter a business on Pope Street and contacted Quintana. Quintana asked Central Dispatch if Placencio still had a valid warrant, which stemmed from a battery charge. Placencio then came out of the business and got into a vehicle — but not the one from the robbery. Quintana told Placencio about the warrant, and later arrested him.

A police officer conducted a “search incident” on Placencio and found a wristwatch taken from Silver City Jewelers, the affidavit states. Quintana wrote that he saw a dark-colored sweater and black-and-white Adidas shoes through the vehicle’s window.

Placencio told Quintana that he has “belongings” in a Hurley home. After obtaining a search warrant, Quintana found a tag from Silver City Jewelers, rings and a receipt from DK Gun and Pawn. Quintana learned from a clerk at DK Gun and Pawn that Placencio got a gun from the store on Oct. 5. Quintana also found .40-caliber bullets in the vehicle.

The affidavit states that a search warrant was approved for the Hurley home, which Quintana and another detective searched Oct. 15. During the search, a crystal-like substance and more .40-caliber bullets were found.

On Oct. 16, Quintana found the truck that was used from the robbery at Placencio’s girlfriend’s home in Silver City. After getting a search warrant, Quintana found a plastic bag that had “a rose gold diamond ring with a white tag with” numbers. The numbers matched the Silver City Jewelers inventory sheet.

Quintana talked to a Las Cruces Police Department detective, who told Quintana about LeadsOnline, a pawn shop information program. While searching the program, he found that Placencio’s girlfriend had pawned two rings at a pawn shop in Las Cruces.

The affidavit states that the girlfriend admitted to pawning the two rings. Placencio told his girlfriend that they “were his mother’s rings, and that he wanted her to pawn them for him due to his appearance.” The girlfriend said “she didn’t think anything of it, due to his mother having a lot of rings.”

Quintana showed the girlfriend pictures from Silver City Jewelers, and she said that the two rings were given to her before coming to the store.

Placencio has been charged with armed robbery, larceny, aggravated assault, possession of a controlled substance and battery.

Detectives said they are working with Las Cruces and El Paso police to recover what was stolen.

Around an hour before the robbery, a man called Central Dispatch from a telephone number with a 505 area code, and said “he is going to shoot up Silver High” before hanging up. Silver High School and neighboring schools were placed on lockdown. After the schools were declared safe, they were removed from lockdown around noon.

A detective is still working on the lockdown and attempting to trace the number. There hasn’t been anything “concrete” that leads police to assume that the robbery and threat are connected. The robbery incident is still active and anyone who has information about it should visit the Silver City Police Department or call them at 538-3723.

Placencio was booked into the Grant County Detention Center on Oct. 15, and remained at the detention center Thursday night.

Source: http://scdailypress.com/site/2019/10/18/arrest-made-in-jewelry-store-robbery/

October 16, 2019

By KTAL/KMSS Staff

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — Shreveport police are encouraging citizens to register their valuables online, saying that it could make the difference in recovering your property if ever reported stolen.

The Shreveport Police Department shared the advice on Facebook Wednesday evening, adding that serial numbers, photos, and receipts are all vital to the investigation of missing property.

In the post, they suggest registering property online with ReportIt. SPD says the information you enter is completely secure and you can access the web page from any computer with an internet connection using your username and password.

Source: https://www.arklatexhomepage.com/top-stories/spd-encourages-citizens-to-register-valuables-online/

September 26, 2019

A 30-year-old woman has been charged with working with four group of people who broke into storage units in Waco and across McLennan County with items then being pawned or sold.

Isabel Denise Gonzalez was already in the McLennan County Jail on numerous credit card abuse charges out of Lacy Lakeview when the new charges of engaging in organized criminal activity were served on her by investigators with the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office.

An arrest affidavit stated that she was accused of working others in entering storage units that had the locks cut off and other locks put in their place.

Deputies had been working a storage unit burglary case in West when other county cases were discovered and it was learned that the Waco Police Department were working several more.

Waco police ran a search warrant with the assistance of deputies where items such as a leather riding saddle, golf clubs, all sorts of tools and other items that matched sheriff’s office cases were recovered.

During the investigation Gonzalez was seen with others taking items from storage units and placing them in a unit held by one of the co-conspirators.

Investigators ran pawn lists for Gonzalez and others in the suspect group and were able to locate stolen property.

The arrest affidavit stated that one of the others questioned in the cases said it was Gonzalez who would locate the storage units and coordinated what items were being sold and pawned at the different pawnshops.

The affidavit quoted one of those questioned as saying Gonzalez would pop the locks of the storage units and leave other locks in their place.

Thursday Gonzalez remained in the McLennan County Jail on the county charges of engaging in organized crime, a Waco PD charge of theft of property, a Waco PD charge of engaging in organized criminal activity and had previous bonds revoked for an earlier charge of possession of methamphetamine and nine cases of credit or debit card abuse out of Lacy Lakeview.

Source: https://www.fox44news.com/news/local-news/local/woman-charged-in-storage-unit-theft-ring/

September 25, 2019

Police to Work With NY Pawn Shops to Track Stolen Goods
A new law in Westchester County will have police able to check a database that tracks diamonds, gems, gold and silver sold to local pawn shops. Cops may be able to even find the person who sold the goods. NBC New York’s Ken Buffa reports.

Watch the video: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Police-to-Work-With-NY-Pawn-Shops-to-Track-Stolen-Goods_New-York-561374612.html

September 25, 2019

A man was arrested Tuesday for suspicion of felony grand larceny, obtaining money under false pretenses and misdemeanor violation of a suspended sentence after allegedly breaking into a game room of a residence, stealing electronics and selling them, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy report said.

Ruben Michael Omohundro, listed as a transient, was taken into custody at 9:36 p.m. According to the arrest report, deputies were called to an East Nye Lane residence for a burglary report. A deputy met with the victim who stated someone entered into the home’s game room and took an Apple MacBook Air and marijuana that was recently purchased from a local marijuana dispensary.

While the victim began looking for the laptop, they noticed the rear window was not locked and cracked open, and footprints leading to the game room. The victim provided a written statement and the deputy took photos of the footprints outside the window, the report states.

The deputy then checked on a website to see if the MacBook was pawned. The deputy discovered that it was pawned at a local pawn shop with a sale amount of $125, and the suspect’s name. The officer contacted the victim and asked if they knew the suspect.

The victim told the officer the suspect was at the residence hanging out in the game room and that a Nintendo Switch had also been discovered stolen and that they wished to have it added to the report.

A deputy met with the suspect and asked if he would speak. He was read his Miranda rights and asked if he wished to speak. He said he understood his rights and agreed to talk, the report states.

He was asked what he was doing with the laptop. At first the man said he didn’t know. The officer then asked if he recently went to a pawnshop and pawned the laptop. He admitted he did and received $125, the report states. He was arrested.

The man asked if he could speak with the victims before he left. The victims asked where a Playstation 4 was (which was reported on in a prior case) and the Nintendo Switch. The man hesitated and admitted that the Playstation 4 was pawned at a Douglas County business and the Nintendo Switch pawned at a Carson City business, the arrest report states.

The deputy asked how much he received for the Playstation 4 and the Switch. He said he received $120 for the Playstation 4 and $140 for the Nintendo Switch. The suspect provided a written statement stating where he pawned the Playstation and Nintendo, the report states.

Based on the report showing the man received $125 for selling the MacBook, he was charged with grand larceny and obtaining money under false pretenses. The investigation will continue Wednesday with the deputy report stating he will review pawn receipts and recover the stolen property. Total bail amount listed in the arrest report $46,000.

In other arrests
— A 38-year-old Carson City man was arrested Tuesday, 10:48 p.m. in the 2300 block of Bunch Way for suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery and obstructing an officer.

According to the arrest report, deputies were dispatched to a residence in reference to a domestic battery. Dispatch learned the male half was extremely verbal and in a heated state of mind. The reporting party said the man would be uncooperative with deputies when they arrived as he has a history of obstructing.

Officers learned in the investigation that the man had been drinking, became belligerent, grabbed the victim by the feet and threw them off a bed, then shoved the victim with both hands, causing a fall. The victim stated the man attempted to grab their cell phone and that he was pushed away.

A deputy and canine arrived and asked for other deputies to expedite. Deputies gave the suspect commands to put his hands behind his back. The man refused several times. Deputies took hold of him, placed him in handcuffs and he had to be physically carried to a patrol car where he then refused to get in. An OC spray was deployed. The man then complied with orders and the OC was wiped from his face. He was booked for suspicion of domestic battery and obstructing an officer. Bail: $3,774.

All information for the crime log (unless otherwise noted) comes from the arrest reports supplied by the Carson City Sheriff’s Office, and is considered by law to be public information. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The policy of Carson Now is to name anyone who is arrested for a felony offense.

Source: https://carsonnow.org/story/09/25/2019/carson-city-arrests-man-allegedly-steals-and-pawns-laptop-games-friends-game-room

August 9, 2019

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – A Jonesboro man faces felony charges after police say he stole several computers from Arkansas State University and then pawned them.

Craighead County District Judge David Boling found probable cause Thursday to charge Joseph Alexander Cummings, 22, with commercial burglary and theft of $1,000 or more but less than $5,000. Both are Class D felonies.

Cummings is accused of stealing five Apple computers, valued at $7,766.43, from the A-State Fine Arts Department last month.

On Aug. 6, according to court documents, Sgt. Brian Shelton with the University Police Department was notified by Leads on Line that Cummings had sold three of the stolen computers to Express Pawn, 3205 E. Nettleton.

The A-State employee who reported the theft told Shelton she was “familiar with the suspect and has seen him in and out of her building,” the affidavit stated.

“But there is no reason for him to have possession of these items outside of the university and he definitely did not have permission to sell them,” the court documents said.

After reviewing the case, Judge Boling found probable cause to charge Cummings and initially set his bond at $7,500. But Cummings asked that the amount be lowered, stating a family member did not have that much money.

The judge reduced his bond to $6,500 and told him to appear in circuit court on Sept. 27.

Source: https://www.kait8.com/2019/08/09/man-accused-stealing-pawning-a-state-computers/

August 1, 2019

By Gene Johnson

SEATTLE – A theft ring in Washington state sold millions of dollars’ worth of stolen goods on Amazon.com in the past six years, and a pair of Amazon delivery drivers was involved, recently unsealed federal court documents show.

According to a search warrant affidavit unsealed in U.S. District Court in Seattle and reviewed by The Associated Press, two storefront businesses posing as pawnshops bought the goods from shoplifters, then had the items shipped to Amazon warehouses, where they were stored until sold online.

Entities associated with the alleged ringleader did at least $10 million in sales on Amazon since 2013, FBI agent Ariana Kroshinsky wrote in her affidavit.

No charges have yet been filed, though investigators have raided the pawnshops and the home of the man identified as the ringleader, Aleksandr Pavlovskiy, 44, of Auburn. A man who answered the door at one of the shops Wednesday identified himself as Alex and told The Associated Press his business was legitimate, that he kept good records and he should not be in any trouble.

How they did it

Among those who provided stolen items to the pawnshops were two contract Amazon drivers, Kroshinsky said. Their job was to travel to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, pick up items being returned to the company and then bring them to an Amazon warehouse south of Seattle, and to deliver items to post offices for shipping. Instead, they routinely stole the goods and sold them to the pawnshops, she wrote.

Amazon did not immediately return an email seeking comment about the case Thursday.

The investigation began last summer when a police detective in Auburn, a south Seattle suburb, was perusing a record of pawnshop sales and noticed that one man had made 57 transactions. It turned out to be one of the drivers.

He had received nearly $30,000 selling items to the pawnshops between February and July last year, the affidavit said. Police initially arrested the driver but released him from jail to avoid disrupting their larger investigation.

The other driver, identified as Abbas Zghair, was believed to be a roommate of the first. Amazon told investigators that Zghair stole about $100,000 worth of property, including gaming systems, sporting goods and computer products – items he sold to one of the pawnshops for less than $20,000, the agent wrote.

In an unrelated case, Zghair has been charged with murder after police said he shot and killed a man in an Auburn field in March, then fled to the Canadian border, where he was arrested trying to cross with a fake ID. He’s being held on $2.5 million bail.

Detectives staked out the pawnshops, Innovation Best in Kent, Washington, and Thrift-Electro in Renton, Washington, and observed that they appeared to be paying shoplifters and drug users cash for new items from Home Depot, Lowes and Fred Meyer department stores. Unlike typical pawnshops, they didn’t make sales; instead, the products were moved to a warehouse and to Amazon “fulfillment centers,” from where they were shipped when they were sold on Amazon’s website by sellers using the handles “Bestforyouall” or “Freeshipforyou,” the affidavit said.

According to a database of pawnshop transactions reviewed by Auburn police, the suspect pawnshops paid more than $4.1 million to sellers who brought them nearly 48,000 items in the past six years. The items included allergy medication, razors, electric toothbrushes and tools in their original packaging. Detectives also conducted undercover operations in which they sold new items in their original packaging to the shops, which accepted them no questions asked, Kroshinsky wrote.

The FBI said it is awaiting more Amazon records to determine the full extent of Pavlovskiy’s enterprise, but that “estimated revenue from Amazon sales, for entities associated with Aleksandr Pavlovskiy, was at least $10 million since 2013.”

Pavlovskiy’s lawyer, Cristine Beckwith, did not return a message seeking comment.

Not an isolated incident

The sale of stolen or counterfeit goods on Amazon or other digital marketplaces is not uncommon, but it was not immediately clear how many other schemes had reached such a volume of sales. Last year, police raided a pawnshop in Monroe, north of Seattle, that they said had taken in $428,000 fencing stolen items, much of it on Amazon.

Jon Reily, a vice president for the digital consultancy firm Publicis Sapient and previously the head of e-commerce user experience for Amazon Devices, said preventing the sale of stolen goods is a major challenge for the company, but retailers can be held liable if they don’t do enough to ensure they’re not selling stolen goods. Because it’s impossible for Amazon to review “every Tide pod” that’s sold on its site, the company will likely need to do more to vet sellers, Riley said.

“It’s a little bit of an arms race for Amazon to be able to take in product, put it on the web and get it to their customers in a speedy fashion and not unwittingly sell stolen stuff at the same time,” Reily said. “Ultimately what Amazon has to do is show good faith if the government comes knocking on the door and says, ‘Look, you’re selling stolen goods.'”

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/01/amazon-delivery-driver-theft-ring-washington-identified-fbi/1894681001/

July 26th 2019

By Quixem Ramirez

SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio man is facing charges for allegedly stealing copper wire from telephone poles at least 15 times in the past three months according to an arrest affidavit.

Ray Puente, 36, is accused of stealing copper wire on at least 15 occasions. Police said there were over 20 cases involving copper wire being cut from telephone poles throughout the San Antonio area in the past past three months. A majority of the thefts happened on the Southwest Side.

A contractor replacing cut copper lines May 20 at 4707 Wurzbach Road found a black backpack at the site according to the affidavit. Detectives said a machete, hack-saw, plies used to cut wire and a paperwork containing Puente’s information from the Bexar County Probation Office were found inside the backpack.

Investigators found proof of Puente selling copper wire at two different times the day after the theft at Danny’s San Antonio Recycling on Somerset Road. The weight of the copper wire totaled 277 pounds, a mark consistent with the weight of the copper wire reportedly stolen the day before. LeadsOnline, the nation’s largest investigative system, showed Puente selling copper wire over 15 different times in the past three months.

Puente faces a charge for theft of aluminium.

Source: https://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/man-accused-of-stealing-copper-wire-from-telephone-poles-at-least-15-times-in-three-months

By Lisa Redmond

July 18, 2019

MANCHESTER — The owners of pawn shops in Manchester and Concord are accused of being the ringleaders of organized retail crime rings that prosecutors said reaped more than $1 million in profits by selling stolen items on eBay.

“It is the most expansive retail organized crime enterprise I’ve ever seen,” prosecutor Patrick Ives told Hillsborough County Superior Court Judge Amy Messer on Thursday.

Ives said Kyle Perkins, 27, and his domestic partner, Shaira Clarissa, 34, both of Concord, used their pawnshops to solicit stolen merchandise and then sell items on eBay with an account created in their child’s name.

Merrimack County officials may bring additional charges after a raid on the couple’s Concord home allegedly yielded more than an ounce of methamphetamine and evidence of a scheme to make counterfeit money, identifications and credit cards, Ives said.

After a lengthy joint investigation by Manchester and Concord police, on Wednesday police raided the couple’s businesses, EZ Pawn and Apple Operation on South Willow Street in Manchester and EZ Apple Repair on Main Street in Concord, along with their Concord home.

In raiding the home, Ives said investigators found “money scattered everywhere.’’

Thousands of dollars worth of what are believed to be stolen goods were seized, police said. More than 450 items — from tools and electronics to home goods, some still in the boxes — were seized as evidence, Ives said.

Perkins and Clarissa are charged with three counts each of receiving stolen property. Co-defendant Christopher Hill, 31, pleaded not guilty to four counts of receiving stolen property.

Messer released Hill on $2,500 cash bail with the conditions that he live at home and continue with a drug diversion program. Clarissa was ordered held pending the assignment of a defense attorney.

Perkins was ordered held without bail after Ives argued Perkins has a similar conviction in a 2015 Merrimack County case. In that case Perkins, the owner of a now-defunct pawnshop in Goffstown, was accused of running a fencing operation involving stolen computer equipment, according to published reports.

“The evidence filled the Goffstown Police Department’s evidence locker,” Ives said. Perkins received a two- to five-year suspended sentence, which the Attorney General’s office will ask a judge to impose in light of the new charges, Ives said.

Defense attorney Joseph Fricano argued for Perkins to be released, saying there is no evidence that traces the sales of stolen items to him.

“He ran a pawnshop,” Fricano said. “He can’t control what comes and goes in his store.” Fricano suggested that Manchester police did their research into stolen items using LeadsOnline.com, a subscription service that tracks pawnshop receivables. Police use the system to compare pawned items with those that have been reported stolen.

“If Mr. Perkins was running some elaborate scheme he was not doing a very good job of hiding it, since most of the merchandise was entered into the Leads system,” Fricano said.

As for the 10 or so people who were allegedly stealing items and selling them to Perkins, Fricano said “all these corroborating witnesses have motives to lie and fabricate.”

Source: https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/police-pawn-shop-owners-reaped-million-plus-in-retail-crime/article_a637e502-2317-52e9-a89b-84eef1b498de.html

By Jacque Masse

April 16, 2019

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis police arrested a man after they said he stole a coin collection from his girlfriend’s grandmother.

According to the arrest affidavit, the victim called the police when she noticed coins were missing from her safe.

A family member broke down in tears when FOX13 asked her about those coins. She said her father spent years saving them for his wife.

“Let’s just put it this way. It was my dad’s life savings and what my mother was supposed to live on,” she said.

The victim told police she believed her granddaughter’s boyfriend, Brandon Raley, might have found the key. Detectives searched the Lead Online pawn database and found where 156 of the coins had been pawned by Raley.

Police found the suspect at his home and he told police that he had a homeless friend named “Erin” who he brought to the house. He left “Erin” inside the house for a bit alone, and then he met him at the car.

Sometime later, he said “Erin” asked for help to pawn off coins that his grandfather had left him. He claimed his friend did not have an ID and needed help to pawn the items.

When detectives asked about inconsistencies in his story, he became defensive and said he no longer wished to speak.

Police records said he did willfully admit to pawning the gold Kruggerands.

Raley was arrested and charged with Theft of Property more than $25,000.

Source: https://www.fox13memphis.com/top-stories/man-steals-hundred-of-thousands-of-dollars-worth-of-coins-from-girlfriend-s-grandmother-police-say/940626599

By Stacy Jacobson

April 16, 2019

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Bartlett man, 22, stole nearly $500,000 from his girlfriend’s grandmother over the course of four months, according to Shelby County deputies.

Lou Goodwin, 82, now relives every moment of the last year, as she remodeled her home, mourned her late husband and welcomed her granddaughter’s boyfriend Brandon Raley in to her family’s life.

“He sat right behind me at the funeral,” she said of the service for her late husband last July. “He started to go to church with us. Sat right behind me at church. I gave him a bible at Christmas.”

She says she’d heard Raley had a drug problem, but she looked out for him because she also knew he had a tough upbringing. So she welcomed him into her home and he offered to help with renovations.

“He’d be painting and have to go in the garage to get the paint,” Goodwin said.

That’s how she said Raley figured out how to steal her life savings over a period of time between December and April.

Goodwin had always used a combination lock to access the safe. She said her late husband never told her about a key, but Raley somehow found one and took cash and valuable coins , including gold Krugerrands worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“I don’t know how many Krugerrands my husband had bought over the years. They were all gone, 200 of them,” she said. “It would be somewhere around $500,000.”

Goodwin says she went to get money to pay her taxes Monday and that’s when she realized the safe was empty. She called the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and they used a website to find records of Raley taking the gold to pawn shops..

WREG went to the suspect’s Bartlett home and a woman identifying herself as his sister answered the door. We asked her about her brother and whether he’d do this. She did not want to comment.

Raley told deputies a homeless friend asked him to sell the gold because the friend didn’t have identification.

Goodwin called that an excuse.

“He spent Christmas with us. I never dreamed he’d do that to me. But I don’t think you can trust anyone,” she said.

She had no idea how she’d pay her taxes now, but somehow, God will take care of her.

Source: https://wreg.com/2019/04/16/woman-says-life-savings-gone-after-expensive-coins-are-stolen/

By Steven Mross

April 3, 2019

A Royal man was arrested early Tuesday on multiple felony charges stemming from an alleged three-month crime spree that included numerous break-ins and a high-speed pursuit during which he rammed his vehicle through a building.

Michael Allen Lynch, 27, who lists a Ragweed Valley Road address, was taken into custody around 3:30 a.m. and charged with possession of meth with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, first-degree criminal mischief and theft of property over $5,000, punishable by up to 10 years, and breaking or entering, second-degree criminal mischief, felony fleeing, and possession of drug paraphernalia, each punishable by up to six years.

Lynch was also charged with misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest, criminal mischief, failure to appear and unlawful transfer of stolen property to a pawnshop, punishable by up to one year in jail.

Lynch was being held on bonds totaling $57,250 and is set to appear today in Garland County District Court.

According to a probable cause affidavit on some of the charges, on Jan. 7, a break-in to a storage facility at Trader Bill’s, 1530 Albert Pike, was reported in which several boats belonging to the business and customers were damaged and numerous items were taken.

An employee of the business found a cellphone in one of the boats that didn’t belong to anyone there and appeared to have been dropped by whoever broke in. Hot Springs police Detective Les Jessup got a search warrant to extract data from the phone which had multiple user accounts allegedly traced back to Lynch.

Numerous photos were found on the phone of marine stereos, battery chargers and other marine equipment like the items reported stolen. There were also messages pulled from the phone related to the stolen items in which Trader Bills was referred to as “Raider Bills.”

Detective Shaun Stillian spoke with one of the boat owners who had several items stolen, including a charger, jumper box and three Interstate batteries. Some of the photos pulled from the phone were of similar items which were shown to the owner who confirmed the items belonged to him.

Stillian also spoke to a boat owner who had several thousand dollars’ worth of fishing equipment stolen, including 12 to 15 rods and reels, several boxes of lures and other items. LeadsOnline was checked and a pawn ticket found from 270 Pawn Shop, 4430 Albert Pike, for 10 rods and reels, three boxes of lures and a depth finder sold on Jan. 2.

The boat owner met Stillian at the pawnshop and he was reportedly able to identify $3,500 worth of the equipment as his. The depth finder was found to belong to Trader Bill’s. The total value of the property was $4,800.

Stillian got video from the pawnshop that allegedly showed Lynch and another known suspect pawning the stolen items. The affidavit notes the total amount of items stolen from Trader Bills was $9,590 and damages to the boats and the fence at the storage facility was estimated at $14,495.

According to the affidavit on the felony fleeing and criminal mischief charges, on Feb. 28, shortly after 4:30 a.m., Officer 1st Class Jonathan Smith was at Walmart, 1601 Albert Pike, attempting to locate a red 2011 Chevrolet Equinox suspected in a felony theft at the store.

He spotted the Equinox pulling through the lot and followed it onto Airport Road where he attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle accelerated across Airport headed east on West St. Louis with Smith in pursuit.

He noted the vehicle ran all the stop signs on West St. Louis and was clocked doing 55 mph in a 25 mph zone. The pursuit continued to North Patterson Street where he lost sight of it. While stopped at the corner of Albert Pike and North Patterson, Smith said he spotted the vehicle again “stuck inside the building” at 304 Albert Pike.

He got out and approached the vehicle and ordered the driver, whom he recognized as Lynch, to show his hands. Lynch allegedly ignored Smith and “began driving forward and backwards inside the building, trying to free his vehicle.”

After knocking out the east wall of the building with his rear bumper, Lynch broke free and sped westbound on Albert Pike. The pursuit continued for another 20 minutes out Albert Pike with the Equinox reaching speeds in excess of 90 mph and Smith finally terminated it after Lynch crossed into Montgomery County.

Damages to the building on Albert Pike were estimated at $14,000.

According to the affidavit regarding Lynch’s arrest, around 3 a.m. Tuesday, Smith and Officers Zachary Brown and Billy Perkins obtained information Lynch, who had multiple felony warrants at that point, was possibly in the area of Spring and Illinois streets.

Brown and Perkins approached the area from Grand and Spring while Smith and his K-9 partner, Bear, came down Illinois. Brown reportedly spotted Lynch standing on the side of Spring near a green Toyota passenger car and he and Perkins got out and ordered Lynch to get on the ground as Smith and Bear stood nearby.

After several failed attempts to get Lynch to cooperate, Smith warned him that Bear would be used to take him into custody. At that point, Lynch finally complied and was handcuffed behind his back and patted down.

Officers allegedly found a Band-Aid container in his pants pocket and a glass pipe. Inside the container were 2.9 grams of what later tested positive for meth, a digital scale, small baggie and a magnifying glass.

Lynch allegedly became combative as they tried to transport him, slamming his head against Brown’s vehicle. They finally got him into Perkins’ unit, but while en route to the jail he allegedly moved his hands to the front of his body and began violently kicking the rear driver’s side door.

The door was damaged to the point Perkins was unable to get it open and he had to have assistance from Garland County sheriff’s deputies at the jail in getting Lynch out.

Source: http://www.hotsr.com/news/2019/apr/03/royal-man-arrested-after-crime-spree-20/

By Scott Cousins

March 24, 2019

EDWARDSVILLE — An ordinance requiring pawn and second-hand stores to electronically submit lists of items taken in was overwhelmingly approved by the Madison County Board last week.

The resolution passed 23-2 with David Michael, R-Highland, and Mick Madison, R-Bethalto, voting against it. Four members were absent during the meeting on Wednesday.

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Pawn shops and secondhand dealers would have to participate in the LeadsOnline system, which allows dealers to upload daily information that law enforcement agencies can access.

Currently county pawn shops submit “pawn tickets” on a weekly basis to the Sheriff’s Department. The tickets are either hand-written or typed and require a large number of man-hours to process, according to law enforcement officials. Secondhand shops were not regulated.

Michael questioned whether all the affected businesses had been contacted, and expressed concerns that by forcing them to go online they could be hacked.

It was noted that several store owners attended the last Public Safety Committee meeting, and the ordinance had been changed because of concerns by one of them.

According to Lt. Kris Tharp of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, the primary focus of the ordinance will be jewelry, stamps, electronics, precious metals and coins, and construction-grade power tools.

The board also took action on a number of highway-related issues, including approving $176,250 for the resurfacing of State Street in Alton between Rozier and Belle streets; $300 for acquisition of right-of-way for the Wanda Road resurfacing project; 128,000 for the acquisition of right-of-way for the Seiler Road project; 94,500 for work on West Clay Street in Collinsville; and accepted the donation of property along Troy- O’Fallon Road in, and approved a $94,000 funding resolution for the reconstruction of West Clay Street in Maryville.

Source: https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/Pawn-shop-ordinance-approved-by-Board-13712688.php

By Larry Hobbs

March 21, 2019

A pair of thieves broke into some storage units at Storage By the Sea early last month in the Lanier Plaza, absconding with approximately $25,000 in scuba diving equipment and other valuables, according to a Brunswick Police report.

But the loot was of little profit until the culprits could find a place to dump it in exchange for cash. And that is how Brunswick Police detectives caught up to Matthew Martin Stembridge and Thomas Lee Jones, who allegedly sold the stolen goods at pawnshops throughout the Golden Isles, according to Brunswick Police Lt. Jose Gladamez, the department’s criminal investigations commander.

In the process, police have managed to return a significant portion of the stolen goods to the victim, he said.

“They had to have come in there with a pickup truck or trailer and just loaded up,” Galdamez said. “Our investigation led us to these two guys, and we were able to find a lot of the property that had been pawned.”

Stembridge and Jones, both 29, remained Wednesday in the Glynn County Detention Center, charged with two counts each of second- degree burglary. Additionally, Stembridge, of Darien, is charged with seven counts of theft by taking and seven counts of theft by deception. Jones, of Brunswick, is additionally charged with five counts of theft by taking and five counts of theft by deception, according to jail records.

The victim discovered the break-ins on Feb. 2 and reported it to police. The thieves had removed the locks on several storage units at Storage By the Sea, 1825 U.S. Highway 17, the police report said. In addition to a large amount of expensive diving gear, the victim was missing other valuables, including generators, expensive bicycles and coolers, Galdamez said.

Detectives first discovered that some of the items had been sold on the Golden Isles Online Yard Sale Facebook page, Galdamez said. Using the internet investigating service LeadsOnline, police began tracking down still more stolen items at area pawnshops, Galdamez said.

“They started selling some of the property in Golden Isles Yard Sale on Facebook,” he said. “Eventually, we began checking the pawnshops and that led us to a good bit of the property.”

The theft by deception charges filed against Stembridge and Jones stem from the loss incurred by the pawnbrokers who unwittingly bought the stolen goods, Galdamez said.

“Sometimes it takes a while, but we are always working to solve these crimes,” Galdamez said. “And we do make the effort to get the property back for those who have been victimized by these crimes.”

The investigation is still ongoing and more stolen property may be recovered, Galdamez said.

Source: https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/police-arrest-two-for-stealing-k-in-scuba-gear-valuables/article_ec9e1eb4-0a55-5ac4-bc1c-9e86d75bc571.html

By Hannah McComsey

March 7, 2019

DANVILLE, Va. (WSET) — The Danville Police Department wants you to be aware of a website that can help recover stolen property. It’s called ReportIt, a free and secure service that allows you to keep track of your belongings.

The ReportIt service is a part of LeadsOnline, an online system that works with police across the country to track and recover stolen property. The Danville Police Department uses LeadsOnline to help track and recover stolen property. The system allows detectives to search for the items using a variety of parameters, including item descriptions and serial numbers. When an item is sold to a pawn or secondhand shop, the product information is entered in the LeadsOnline database and can be viewed by participating law enforcement agencies.

Once you login to ReportIt – you can take pictures of your items and write down their serial numbers. If an item gets stolen, police can search the database to see if it was resold – and get your stuff back to you.

“It makes it much easier for us identify stolen property when we’ve, say, done a search warrant, gone to a house and recovered property and are trying to place it back with the owners,” said Lt. Richard Chivvis with the Danville Police Department, “We really like to be able to return stolen property to the owners.”

Danville Police say this website has already helped them in one stolen property case.

Source: https://wset.com/news/local/danville-police-using-reportit-system-to-help-track-stolen-property

By Liz Owens

February 25, 2019

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) — A shooting, bank robbery and a murder – we told you about all three last week, but the actual chance of a violent crime happening to you is less than half a percent.

But property crimes? We are 10 times more likely to be the victim of a property crime.

How do you prevent yourself from becoming a statistic?

First, let’s look at the statistics.

According to NeighborhoodScout.com, 1 in 26 people in Augusta are a victim of theft, burglary, or larceny.

Before he became a spokesperson for the sheriff, Sgt. William McCarty worked in property crimes. So, what items are stolen the most?

“Hands down, electronics,” McCarty said.

From March through December 2018, deputies investigated more than 1,700 burglaries and 2,100 thefts in Richmond County.

National statistics show you only have about a 30 percent chance of getting something stolen back. McCarty said there’s a way to protect yourself and raise your odds.

“The biggest obstacle we run into is we can’t identify the items once recovered,” McCarty said.

That means investigators don’t have a way to link a stolen item to the owner. In some cases, however, the owner can’t prove it belongs to him.

“I can’t tell you the amount of unclaimed property that we have run across the years which couldn’t be identified through a serial number,” McCarty said.

A serial number is a unique number or string of characters that identifies a product. Investigators can use them to identify a specific device.

Deputy Shields works the property crimes unit and scans for serial numbers quite often through a database called Leads Online. Leads connects law enforcement agents with pawn shops.

Anytime someone reports something stolen, an investigator will enter the serial number — if the owner has it — into the system. Anytime someone pawns something, the pawn shop will enter serial number into the same system.

That’s how Greg Driggers, a local pawn shop owner, helped deputies nab a guy last year.

Hopefully you’ll never become a victim of theft, but if it happens, this will greatly increase the chances of getting your stuff back. Leads Online isn’t just for law enforcement. Anybody can register something they own on here. If it’s stolen, investigators can immediately link the serial number to you or vice versa.

“The more documentation you have, the more chance you have if getting it back recovered, and it makes it a lot easier for your insurance company as well,” McCarty said.

Source: https://www.wrdw.com/content/news/I-TEAM-INVESTIGATES-If-youre-a-property-crime-victim-this-one-thing-will-up-your-chances-of-getting-your-stuff-back-506342431.html

By Bradly Gill

February 19, 2019

A Louann man faces up to 10 years in prison as a result of plea deals from two separate felony cases.

Duston Abeyta pleaded guilty in the Circuit Court of Ouachita County last week to residential burglary and theft of property worth more than $1,000, but less than $5,000.

Court documents state that on July 18, 2018, the Ouachita County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a woman in Harmony Grove who stated that a Duston Abeyta and Kory Barnes had been staying with her at her home. She stated that there was property in her home and in her shed that had been brought there by Abeyta and Barnes that she believed to have been stolen. Officers went to the home and she showed them several totes of glassware and took them to her shed where there were bags of Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Tony Stewart memorabilia.

The reporting officer also states seeing a vacuum cleaner, crossbow and tools, and paperwork inside one of the bags that had the name of a Texas resident. They contacted the McCamey Texas Police Department, and they made contact with the Texas resident. A man then made contact with OCSD and told them that he owned a residence along Arkansas 376 South that had a lot of items in it similar to what was described.

The man stated that the value of the items as being close to $5,000 or more. He stated that he would come to Arkansas, visit the residence on Arkansas 376 South, inventory everything still missing and give a value on what had been recovered. Officers then went to the man’s residence where they found that the back door broken and open, and a shed behind the house that had the lock torn off and items dragged out. The owner later reported that a welder had been taken.

The Harmony Grove resident went to the sheriff’s department and was interviewed about the stolen items and the residence where they had been stolen from. She said Abeyta and Barnes had been taking the items to her residence over a month, and that Abeyta told her that they took the items came from a double-wide trailer he called the “honey hole.”

In an interview with Barnes, he stated that he and Abeyta had gone to the trailer rand shed on two different occasions and had stolen things. Barnes stated that Abeyta was the person who told him about it the residence, and that Abeyta called “the honey hole.

On July 17, 2018 a person contacted the Ouachita County Sheriff’s Department and stated that someone had stolen his 2012 Can-Am Commander 1000 Side-by-Side which was valued at $11,500.00 and that was chained to a tree on Ouachita 75 next to his deer camp.

Vaughn described the suspects and the vehicle they were driving. While deputies were responding to the location, they saw a vehicle on Arkansas 24 that fit the description of the suspects’ truck. Deputies initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle identify the occupants as Barnes and Abeyta. Deputies then asked if they had any information about a stolen side-by side,. Abeyta admitted that they had stolen the side-by-side and hid it in a wooded area along Arkansas 24 and Ouachita 23.

Barnes and Abeyta were taken into custody and transported to the Ouachita County Sheriffs Department.

Both were charged with theft of property worth more than $5,000. CID Investigator Captain David Pennington responded to the scene and took photos of the side-by-side and gathered information, and the side-by-side was located in the area that Abeyta had given.

During the course of the investigation, a witness provided the Criminal Investigation Division with a picture that had been taken on his cellular phone. The picture showed a truck with a side-by-side in the back.

The truck was identified as the suspect’s vehicle, and the side-by-side was the one the belonged to the victim.

Abeyta was also a suspect in a burglary of property on Highway 7 that was stripped of copper tubing, a pressure washer and large air compressor, court documents show.

A search was conducted through www. leadsonline to see if any copper tubing had been scrapped during that particular time-frame. The website shows that during that time, a local metal business had bought tubing from Abeyta. Upon his arrest, Abeyta admitted to stealing the tubing.

Abeyta has previously been convicted of five other felonies.

Court documents also show that Abyeta’s cohort, Barnes, is currently awaiting trial.

Source: https://www.camdenarknews.com/news/2019/feb/19/man-takes-plea-felony-charges/

By Tesina Jackson

February 14, 2019

When thieves steal, the victims want justice — but in most cases, the property is never recovered because the owner doesn’t know the serial numbers.

Cherokee County Undersheriff Jason Chennault said for approximately 75 percent of theft reports the sheriff’s office receives, the owner has not jotted down the serial numbers.

“Always record your serial numbers,” he said. “We have a lot higher recovery rate, a lot higher success rate, a lot higher solve rate on reports where people know their serial numbers.”

Even when a thief sometimes removes a serial number from a stolen item, Chennault said, there’s always a hidden serial number.

If the property owner does not know a serial number, the chances of finding a stolen item are very slim.

When the victim discovers property has been stolen, taking immediate action can make a difference.

“It’s important to fill out a report as soon as possible,” said Tahlequah Police Chief Nate King. “Time is not our friend in stolen property cases.”

Other than providing serial numbers, it is helpful to also supply law enforcement officers with photos and a clear description of the stolen item. Most larger items – such as tools, electronics, tractors, trailers, vehicles and firearms – will have serial numbers, while items such as jewelry and clothing typically don’t.

“That’s how we know if we find your stuff,” Chennault said. “We have databases we can search for property that has been pawned. That’s how we can verify that’s your stuff.”

It’s important to have serial numbers so authorities can check databases such as LeadsOnline, which helps authorities access transactions from businesses like pawn shops.

“We’ve gotten a lot of hits on pawn shops outside of Tahlequah that have stolen property,” King said.

King added that he would like to help create a city ordinance that would require all Tahlequah pawn shops to enter their transactions onto a database.

According to a 2012 study by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 40 percent of the time, burglars head to a pawn shop to make a quick profit.

“That’s the most help a victim can give us, is to provide serial numbers,” Chennault said. “There are so many databases out there now. Pawn shops in Oklahoma have a database. Their computer system will dump into a database so we can go in and search how many times someone pawned something and what they pawned.”

If a victim believes he knows who stole his property, authorities must still have probable cause to obtain a search warrant from a judge to enter a residence to search. If an item is recovered, authorities sometimes take custody of the property until the closure of the case.

Source: https://www.enidnews.com/oklahoma/news/serial-numbers-key-to-returning-stolen-property-to-owners/article_7c9cc6f7-ba51-5e42-b868-d25d0309cc2d.html

By Gerald Tracy

February 12th 2019

SAN ANTONIO – Sarah Ann Salas, 20, has been arrested and charged with theft of more than $2,500.

According to an affidavit, an elderly disabled man hired Salas to take care of him.

The victim told officials he believed she took his jewelry without consent sometime in December.

After police investigated, they found six pieces of jewelry on an online pawnshop database.

Police say the victim gave receipts and photos of the stolen jewelry, which confirmed the found jewelry was the stolen property.

The stolen jewelry was recovered and returned.

Source: https://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/home-health-provider-arrested-after-stealing-jewelry-from-disabled-man

By Steve Shaw

February 7, 2019

Oklahoma City, OK – A nursing home employee is accused of stealing an expensive wedding ring right off a patient’s finger. It’s a story News 9 has been following since early January.

Shamira Williams,35, is charged with Felony False Declaration to a Pawn Broker.

Retired Oklahoma City Police Detective Trela Wishon says Williams sold her mother’s 63-year-old wedding ring to Cash America Pawn in Oklahoma City, for $475 on November 29th. Wishon says the ring is worth more than $30,000.

Wishon’s mother Geraldine Whitaker was a patient at Accel at Crystal Park Nursing Home in Oklahoma City in November. Court documents say Williams was an Accel employee when the ring was stolen, and she had access to Geraldine’s room.

Court documents say Williams told the pawn broker she had owned the ring for more than a year.

“It makes me sick,” Wishon said. “Because she lied number one, and especially because she took the rings off my mom’s finger when she was sleeping. That is totally ludicrous.”

Court records show Williams has been in trouble before for writing bad checks. She’s got a handful of mugshots available online.

Whitaker died January 19.

Wishon says her family will still have to go to court to re-claim her mother’s ring.

Source: http://www.news9.com/story/39929157/nursing-home-employee-accused-of-stealing-pawning-patients-wedding-ring