News and Success Stories

“During a recent burglary to a residence investigation, I placed several suspects on a watch list. Within a few days, I received notification that one of the suspects had sold two of the stolen cellphones at an EcoATM. EcoATM reported the purchase immediately to LeadsOnline and I was able to recover the stolen property, along with obtaining detailed information from the vendor. LeadsOnline helped to speed up the investigation by providing real-time data that was valuable in the recovery and prosecution of the case.”

Inv. R.T. Taylor
Granite Quarry-Faith Joint Police Authority
North Carolina

“Thanks to LeadsOnline, I was able to solve three burglaries when the suspect pawned the items at a local shop. It is because of Leads that I was able to get a 100 percent recovery of property and a confession. You have revolutionized property crime investigations!”

Det. Sgt. Donnie Manues
White County Sheriff’s Office
Arkansas

“I received a case involving the Theft of approximately $2,300 of tools from a construction job site. The victim provided the name of a suspect he believed stole his tools. On the following Monday, I ran a check through LeadsOnline and IMMEDIATELY received the information I needed to recover the tools and ultimately prosecute the thief. As if that wasn’t enough, your information revealed that the thief had stolen another set of tools valued at approximately $900 that the victim hadn’t even realized was missing! Due to your excellent service, I was able to solve a crime that may not have been solved; thanks LeadsOnline!”

Det. Andrew Green
Franklin Police Department
Tennessee

“The victim believed their sibling was responsible for the theft. A quick check of the suspect revealed they had sold collectible coins to a business in another jurisdiction. Those coins were linked back to the original victim. Thank you very much, I think you solved our case for us.”

Det. Jeff Smith
Medina Police Department
Ohio

“A patrol officer was investigating a theft. I was reviewing the report and found the suspect was believed to have stolen a laptop. A quick check of the suspects name found they had sold a matching laptop to a business outside our jurisdiction. Had it not been for this resource, chances are slim to have proven the suspect stole the laptop. Best part is we were able to recover it for the victim.”

Det. Jeff Smith
Medina Police Department
Ohio

“After reviewing LeadsOnline, Detective Sean Anderson and I located and investigated a stolen Xbox controller from a juvenile. After locating it through LeadsOnline and identifying the offender, the complainants didn’t wish to pursue criminal charges against that party because it was an immediate family member who has an addiction to drugs. You guys are the best!!!!”

Det. Robert Deko
North Branford Police Department
Connecticut

“After reviewing our larceny cases over the weekend, I located a stolen TV report. After checking my `GO TO program` LeadsOnline, I located the stolen TV. Complainant was very happy of our findings! On the same transaction was also a set of Marble Chess Pieces that belonged to his late father… LeadsOnline is the best!”

Det. Robert Deko
North Branford Police Department
Connecticut

“While working a break and entering case I checked LeadsOnline for any of the merchandise that was stolen. Luckily I was able to locate a PS3 that had been sold in Henrico County. The merchandise was recovered and arrest are still currently being made of different suspects.”

Det. Dale Shamburg
Richmond Police Department
Virginia

“Several stolen chain saws and trimmers were sold in Springfield. It led to a burglary arrest and the recovery of nearly $30,000 of stolen items ranging from semi tires to a stolen enclosed trailer. Thank you LeadsOnline!”

Det. John Osmer
Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office
Illinois

“We were having a rash of stolen apple phones and iPads so I placed a search into LeadsOnline. I was seeing the same person over and over selling new apple phones, iPads, and other brand new phones as well. It was over $25,000 worth of items sold to various businesses. He was the manager of the local phone store and they arrested him on the thefts.”

Det. Harry Sweigart
University of Dayton Police Department
Ohio

“I was working a theft of jewelry case that occurred in a nursing home, and one of the elderly victims mentioned a housekeeping employee that she thought acted suspiciously around the times of the thefts. I had no other leads in the case and had no serial numbers to run on LeadsOnline, but I decided to run the name of the employee. I received multiple recent hits on her pawning jewelry and at least one of the jewelry items was a good enough description to make a match on paper, so I went and recovered three pieces of jewelry that a victim confirmed were hers and was able to obtain an arrest warrant on the housekeeping employee to file the case. Without LeadsOnline this case may have been inactivated without an arrest or would have been a lot more difficult to file.”

Inv. Robert Henbest
Allen Police Department
Texas

“I recovered a stolen electric guitar using LeadsOnline. This case was pending for a couple of months, and before I closed it as an unsolved theft I did one last search by serial number and the guitar popped up in a pawn shop in a city about 25 miles away. Guitar and owner have been reunited.”

Inv. Mike Luna
Aransas Pass Police Department
Texas

“A pawn shop owner called with concerns of a customer who was bringing in a number of high-dollar depth finders ($2,000-$3,000 each) that were still in the box. He asked if they were hot or not because of their value and because they were still being in the box. I searched LeadsOnline and found that one young man in his 20s was selling these at several stores. Based on this and the pawnshop owners concern, I contacted boat manufactures in our area along with marinas, but nothing matching these was missing. Marion County Sheriff’s Department, home of Ranger Boats, was contacted by our department (Baxter County Sheriff’s Department), and it was found that Ranger Boats had filed a report of theft of the items found. It was also found that the young man worked for them in their parts department. Investigators with Marion County Sheriff’s Office are working on arrest warrants for the individual in the case. The Marion County and Baxter County Sheriff’s Department work very well together and were able to stop this from continuing.”

Inv. Eric Neal
Baxter County Sheriff’s Office
Arkansas

“I was working two separate theft cases and even had surveillance video of the suspects. I could not locate any photos of the suspects from the past several years to compare to the surveillance video until I received notice from LeadsOnline that my suspects had sold a phone at an ecoATM. I was able to compare the images captured by the ecoATM to the surveillance video and make a positive identification. Two cases closed by LeadsOnline.”

Inv. Zach Hicks
Bedford Police Department
Texas

“Today, while using LeadsOnline, I recovered two Stihl chainsaws and a Stihl trimmer. It would not have been possible without LeadsOnline.”

Inv. Michael Blackwood
Blount County Sheriff Office
Alabama

“I am an investigator for a small department in southern Wisconsin. I signed our agency up for LeadsOnline and used it in a burglary case I was working on. To my surprise I located some of the missing items and found out that they were several states away, just hours after the complaint came in. The information I received from LeadsOnline played a huge part in clearing my case. Thank you!”

Inv. Trevor Long
Brodhead Police Department
Wisconsin

“Using LeadsOnline, I was able to locate a watch that had been stolen from my victim. The victim did not have a serial number for the watch, but did know the suspect’s name. I was able to search for the suspect and locate where he sold the watch outside of my jurisdiction.”

Inv. Patrick Hooton
Cartersville Police Department
Georgia

“Yet again, your program has helped us to recover stolen property in a short amount of time. My agency was able to locate approximately $710 worth of property the very next day after the burglary and theft. I have lost track of what my agency has recovered to date, but I am sure it is in excess of $10,000 simply by using this resource. I can’t say thank you enough, from the ease of use to the helpfulness of your staff, especially with your support team. It truly has been a game changer for us in several of our cases, and we are learning more and more how to use it to better close our cases. Thank you again.”

Inv. Kenneth Miller
Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office
Tennessee

“While reviewing the automated reports, we were advised that a Clermont County resident crossed the state line and pawned a set of golf clubs in Newport, Kentucky. The golf clubs were reported stolen by the suspect’s father that same day. We were able to return the golf clubs to the owner and file charges on the suspect. Thanks Leads Online!”

Inv. Bernard Boerger
Clermont County Sheriff’s Office
Ohio

“Another one bites the dust… I recently identified a burglary suspect with LeadsOnline. A male and female from Clermont County were taking jewelry to pawn shops in Newport, Kentucky during a time frame in which we had three burglaries in Monroe Twp. Once confronted with the information from Leads Online the male confessed to six burglaries that he committed, and we were able to recover some of the stolen property. Thanks Leads Online… again!”

Inv. Bernard Boerger
Clermont County Sheriff’s Office
Ohio

“A few months ago, I had a case where a cell phone and other items were taken from a house. After speaking with the victim, I was able to get the serial number for the cell phone that was taken. One of the first steps I took, as always, was to check the serial number of the cell phone through LeadsOnline. I received a hit on LeadsOnline that the phone was sold just hours after the incident occurred at an ecoATM machine close to the victim’s house. I printed out the information from LeadsOnline and headed to the address that was provided in the ecoATM transaction. I made contact with the suspect at the house, and after presenting him with the evidence I received from LeadsOnline, he had no other option but to confess everything! He was recently sentenced to 5 years in prison for his actions that day, and thanks to LeadsOnline, he was quickly and easily apprehended!”

Inv. Clifton Jennings
Columbia County Sheriff’s Office
Georgia

“I use this program daily and have had great success with it over the last year. Last week, we knew that certain items were taken from a residence and pawned by a certain individual. That individual did not show up online, but by searching his home town, we were able to find the friend of his that actually used his ID to sell the jewelry. The case was successfully worked backwards to charge the bad guy. LeadsOnline works!”

Det. Sgt. Jeff Haugh
Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office
Ohio

“I submitted a LeadsOnline search and discovered a defendant sold the Lawn mower listed in an incident report from 11 days earlier. The serial number provided by the owner of the lawn mower matched the serial number on the transaction ticket. I called and spoke with the store manager and placed a law enforcement hold on the mower. The next day, I took custody of the lawn mower and brought it back to the Edmond Police Department where I booked it into the property room as ‘recovered stolen property.'”

Det. Sgt. Brent Clowers
Edmond Police Department
Oklahoma

“I submitted a LeadsOnline search and I discovered that the defendant sold a drill / driver combo set the day after he stole it from an Ace Hardware. I called the business and placed a Law Enforcement hold on the item. The next day I took custody of the Milwaukee drill / driver combo set from the business and left a copy of the Officer’s Affidavit for Receipt of Stolen Property with the store owner.”

Det. Sgt. Brent Clowers
Edmond Police Department
Oklahoma

“After trying to get my department to join LeadsOnline for four years, I finally got approval. Within five minutes of coming online, we had leads on two stolen items. First suspect search led to recovery of more stolen goods. Finally!”

Det. Sgt. Charles Israel
Fairburn Police Department
Georgia

“As a new detective, I have unbelievable success with LeadsOnline. Whether it is locating stolen property, developing leads, or criminal associations on open cases, this program has it all. Customer support is A+++++ as well. Keep up the good work.”

Det. Sgt. Travis Heishman
Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
Indiana

“I was assigned a residential burglary investigation involving over $90,000 in property, mostly jewelry, and no possible suspects. Some of the jewelry was unique in description. I typed a description of some of the items into the LeadsOnline database and came up with a possible match on some of the items. The victims went to the pawn shop and identified the items. I was able to identify three suspects in the case, two of which are in custody because of the information I obtained through LeadsOnline. I have also been able to recover approximately $40,000 worth of property with more pending. Without LeadsOnline I would not have been able to locate some of the property because of the large number of pawn shops and gold exchange places in three different counties.”

Det. Sgt. Curtis Owens
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
Tennessee

“I was just added to the NCIC hit list last week. Right after I was added, I found an item on the list that was taken during a break-in dating back in December 2013. THANK YOU LEADSONLINE.”

Det. Sgt. Clarence Hill
Lee County Sheriff’s Office
North Carolina

“Just a quick note to let you know about one of our recent success stories. A report was filed for a stolen backpack leaf blower by a local landscaping company. Fortunately, the company had the serial number. I checked the serial number using LeadsOnline and located the stolen backpack blower. I was able to have an offender identified, property recovered, and a case made just a couple of hours after the report was filed. The landscaping company representative was very impressed, and appreciated the fact that it was done so quickly. It was quick and easy to do because of LeadsOnline. Thanks.”

Det. Sgt. Jaye Loggins
Mountain Brook Police Department
Alabama

“Using LeadsOnline, Lieutenant Sigmon and I recovered a stolen TV from a shop over an hour and a half away from our city. Lieutenant Sigmon drove to High Point, North Carolina to recover the item. Warrants for the arrest of the person who sold the TV are forthcoming.”

Det. Sgt. Spencer Cline
Newton Police Department
North Carolina

“After checking the NCIC hits in LeadsOnline, we found a confirmed stolen GPS unit from a larceny of an automobile. The GPS was sold to a shop the same day it was stolen by our suspect. Novi Police Detectives scheduled an interview with the suspect, which he failed to show up for. The suspect was still active in selling merchandise, according to LeadsOnline, and the decision was made to track him down. He was located, responded back to the station with the Officers voluntarily and gave a full confession to this LFA as well as others in our city and in surrounding jurisdictions dating back to the summer.”

Det. Sgt. Scott Baetens
Novi Police Department
Michigan

“The LeadsOnline database helped me again. I just had a case where a former roommate allegedly stole items while the owner was hospitalized. A simple search of the suspect’s name helped me locate some of the stolen items within minutes. The property has been located and recovered, and charges are forthcoming against the suspect. Thanks again!”

Det. Sgt. Tim Vincent
Onslow County Sheriff’s Office
North Carolina

“Just wanted to write in…I recently had a case where a women had stopped payments on electronics she rented from a rental company here in Jacksonville, NC. I began to look into the case, and very quickly located the missing electronics, as the women had pawned them. I was able to recover the stolen electronics, and arrest the women, thanks for the awesome database!”

Det. Sgt. Timothy Vincent
Onslow County Sheriff’s Office
North Carolina

“I had another case that your site helped me close! I took a report of a stolen gold and diamond ring, and the suspect was a family member of the victim. I was unable, however to locate the whereabouts of the ring. I confronted the suspect, who confessed to the theft, and implicated a co-defendant by nickname only. I was able to use this nickname to get a possible identity of my second suspect though your site (The nickname was his middle name). Once I had the name, I was able to locate the store that the second suspect sold the ring at, subsequently obtaining a sales ticket for the transaction, and returning the ring back for the rightful owner. Thanks once again, LeadsOnline!”

Det. Sgt. Timothy Vincent
Onslow County Sheriff’s Office
North Carolina

“With LeadsOnline I was able to solve a Burglary case where the victim reported that a 32 in. Vizio flat screen TV as stolen from his residence. The TV was sold to a shop in Memphis, Tennessee. The suspect was arrested for Theft by Receiving, but claimed that the TV was given to her by her boyfriend, who denied the allegation, but was held for a short period of time pending further investigation. The suspect now faces a charge of theft by receiving pending disposition of court.”

Det. Sgt. Tracy Reynolds
Osceola Police Department
Arkansas

“Two years ago, a victim laid her cell phone down at a checkout counter, forgot and left it behind. A thief stepped up to the counter and put the phone in his pocket. This was caught on security video. However, the suspect was not a known person to police. The case went cold until a Walmart cell phone location began reporting traded in phones to LeadsOnline. The phone’s serial number triggered an NCIC hit to the investigators. The phone had been traded in a year ago. The individual who traded the phone was tracked down and she told investigators who she bought the phone from. A file photo of the suspect was compared to the video footage for a match. The suspect was then confronted with the video evidence and confessed.”

Det. Sgt. Scott Stephens
Purcell Police Department
Oklahoma

“The South Bend Police Department was alerted to a residential burglary in our city. The suspects broke in and stole over $40,000 worth of musical equipment from the home while the resident was out of town. The victim had specific details pertaining to the stolen property and we checked out area shops with no luck. Several days after the incident, South Bend Police Burglary Unit Detective Kelly Waite was utilizing LeadsOnline to check activity outside of the city. While searching data across the country, Detective Waite found a transaction in a Chicago, Illinois secondhand store. The items sold were consistent with some of the stolen property from this residential burglary. The transaction occurred within weeks of the residential burglary being investigated, and the person making the sale had ties to the South Bend, Indiana area. Detective Waite further investigated this sale, traveled to Chicago for follow up, and determined that the property sold at this Chicago secondhand store was indeed some of the property stolen from the South Bend, Indiana residence. The person making the initial transaction was located and information was gathered that led to most of the remaining property being recovered. The majority of the property was still in South Bend, Indiana. The case investigation is continuing and further leads are being followed. LeadsOnline, and the focused investigative effort by Detective Waite, are being credited with this positive outcome to a residential burglary that without them, would have still been unsolved. The South Bend Police Department began their use of LeadsOnline in September 2013. Local secondhand stores and precious metal dealers have been utilizing the LeadsOnline service to document their daily transactions since the start of 2014. Businesses have publicly given praise to LeadsOnline stating the service is free and easy to use for the merchants. Since beginning the use of LeadsOnline, the South Bend Police Department has located dozens of stolen items such as cell phones, laptop computers, game systems, bicycles and electronic devices locally. LeadsOnline has also been credited by the South Bend Police Department Burglary Unit with recovering a stolen handgun and laptop computer in two separate cases in Texas, numerous items in Chicago and locating a felony fugitive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, among several other successful usage of this tool.”

Det. Sgt. Dominic Zultanski
South Bend Police Department
Indiana

“We received a report of stolen property and the name of a potential suspect. Within minutes of using LeadsOnline, I located the property in an Arkansas shop, and that also confirmed the identity of the suspect. I was able to obtain photos of the property pawned and was able to get the victim to confirm identification of the items within the hour. This sometimes used to take days to accomplish. Thanks LeadsOnline!”

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

“The victim returned home after work and found his home burglarized of a flat screen TV and 80 dollars in cash. He made a report that evening and it was assigned to me the next day. I was able to talk with the victim on the following day when he gave me numbers on the TV and several names of persons that he suspected may have committed the crime. After getting off the phone with the victim, I signed on LeadsOnline, ran the numbers and the ticket that came up showed the suspect to be one of the persons that the victim had given me. He had actually pawned the TV at 12:30 pm on the day of the burglary a few hours before it was reported. I printed the LeadsOnline ticket, making it a part of the case file and obtained a felony warrant for the suspect. He was tried in Walker County Superior Court and found guilty of the burglary. The only physical evidence that was submitted at trail was the original pawn ticket from the store and the LeadsOnline print out that I had made. I did have to explain how we used LeadsOnline in investigations. After the trial and convictions which the suspect received 5 years, we polled the jury and they told us that the LeadsOnline was a big factor in their choice to convict him. So yes LeadsOnline really works well we have recovered a lot of property using LeadsOnline!”

Det. Sgt. Anthony Gilleland
Walker County Sheriff’s Office
Georgia

“A few months ago, I had signed up my agency for the trial period for LeadsOnline. After the trial period expired, I had to wait for the upcoming budget fiscal year to renew the agency account. During the trial period, I was pretty impressed with what LeadsOnline can do and all of the capabilities. Now, the new fiscal budget year has begun. I called up LeadsOnline and I already had a hit notification on a stolen cell phone that was reported from our jurisdiction. We had a possible suspect identified and now with this NCIC hit notification from LeadsOnline, I am fully able to identify the suspect and pursue criminal charges against him. I am fully impressed with LeadsOnline and I am looking forward to using it to catch criminals.”

Det. Sgt. Brad Hillaker
West Wendover Police Department
Nevada

“I was assigned to investigate a burglary where several articles of jewelry were stolen. Unfortunately, there was no physical or forensic evidence found at the scene when the crime scene was processed, nor were there any witnesses located to aid in identifying a suspect. I researched LeadsOnline, as I do in ALL of my cases, and I found a transaction at a local gold buying center that documented and photographed the sale of a valuable and sentimental military ring that was stolen from my victim. I was able to not only recover the property, but I also identified the suspect who was eventually linked to other similar crimes. This would not have happened without LeadsOnline!”

Det. Sgt. Donnie Manues
White County Sheriff’s Office
Arkansas

“Xenia had a residential theft where a PS3 and several other items were stolen. The victim had a serial number and a suspect’s name. Using LeadsOnline, I located the stolen merchandise, which was sold by the suspect. Receiving stolen property charges were filed against the suspect. LeadsOnline made the search for stolen items extremely easy and was a valuable tool assisting us with locating the stolen items.”

Det. Matthew Miller
Xenia Police Department
Ohio

“Thanks LeadsOnline for your help. We have used LeadsOnline for a short time and already have solved five cases. Thanks for your help, and the victims thank you too.”

Det. Trent Shore
Yadkin County Sheriff’s Office
North Carolina

“I investigated a report of a theft by a known suspect. I checked LeadsOnline and was able to locate 12 pieces of stolen property from one victim that sold the items at three different local pawn shops. I was able to successfully charge the suspect with possession of stolen property and trafficking in stolen property. This case would not likely have been solved without the help of LeadsOnline.”

Det. Kevin Cays
Yakima Police Department
Washington

“I saved my suspect’s information from a burglary, and when I got back from vacation I had seven alerts that he had pawned items. There were several high-priced items pawned that matched the items stolen from the burglary. The suspect will be charged with Possession/Trafficking in Stolen Property.”

Det. Mark Andrews
Yakima Police Department
Washington

“Last month an iPhone 5 was stolen from our campus. The stolen phone was subsequently entered into NCIC. This month a hit from LeadsOnline determined that the stolen phone was sold at a local business. I was able to retrieve the stolen phone as well as develop a suspect.”

Det. Paul Sires
Yale University Police Department
Connecticut

“A York County resident reported to the York County Sheriff’s Office that an acquaintance had taken his John Deere riding lawn mower from his residence without permission. The resident stated he allowed the suspect to stay at his residence for a few days. The resident returned from work and discovered the John Deere mower missing — as well as the suspect. York County detectives discovered through LeadsOnline that the suspect pawned the John Deere lawn mower that same day at a local pawn shop. A few days later, detectives were able to recover the mower.”

Det. Ralph Gurganus
York County Sheriff’s Office – Property Crimes
South Carolina

“I was contacted by members of my agency’s patrol division to conduct a follow-up interview with a suspect that was being detained. He was a person of interest due to an ongoing theft investigation that patrol officers were actively pursuing. As it turns out, I conducted the subsequent interview with the subject at which time resulted in a full confession. Upon doing additional follow-up with the victims, I was then provided the property in question’s serial number. I searched LeadsOnline, which resulted in $1200 of property being recovered. This success could not have happened if it wasn’t for this investigative resource. Thank you.”

Det. Cpl. David Harris
Tulane University Police Department
Louisiana

“I recently had an investigation where a single father of five children reported a theft. He reported his five children, ages 3-10, had multiple Nintendo DS devices stolen over a period of a month. The father stated at first he thought the children had misplaced them since one was coming up missing after the other, but that was not the case. The father was dating a lady who he trusted, and let inside his home with his children. Unknown to the father, the girlfriend was periodically stealing the Nintendo devices from his children, starting with the 3-year-old child. After all the Nintendo devices were stolen, the father and the girlfriend broke up. A few weeks passed by, and he was told by a relative of his ex-girlfriend that she stole all of his children’s Nintendo games. The relative told the father they had one of the Nintendo devices in their possession, and the ex-girlfriend probably sold the others. We were given a name of the ex-girlfriend, and ran that information through LeadsOnline. We located all of the stolen property, and it was returned to the children. When we located and identified the Nintendo devices, we noticed the ex-girlfriend didn’t even delete the pictures of the children or try to conceal who owned them. We have a warrant out for her arrest. She is currently on the run, not only for this charge, but many others.”

Det. Cpl. Ted Schaeffer
Harrison Police Department
Arkansas

“I was investigating a residential burglary in which jewelry was taken. The suspect was the maid, and she denied any knowledge or involvement in the theft. Fortunately I ran the maid’s name in LeadsOnline prior to the interview and discovered she recently pawned a large amount of jewelry. When confronted with this information, she broke down and admitted to the theft. If the information provided by LeadsOnline was not available, this case would not have been solved.”

Det. Cpl. Michael Melton
Los Gatos Police Department
California