News and Success Stories

Tag Archives: Houston

“In 1987, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office took a burglary report in Chauvin, La. There were numerous shotguns and rifles stolen. Although a few weapons were recovered, the remaining firearms were logged away for several years. Thanks to Leadsonline, another firearm has been recovered. The victim is grateful and surprised that after all these years the gun has been recovered. Thanks to Leadsonline the firearm was recovered in Houston, Texas in 2012!”

Lt. Donald Tomlin
Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office
Louisiana

Houston police officer’s stolen Smith & Wesson .357 found in Dallas 37 years later

“Detective Joe Emmett, was checking LeadsOnline and found a stolen Smith and Wesson .357 at a pawnshop. A check found the pistol was stolen in 1973 from a UUMV of a then-Houston Police Officer. Joe did some checking and found the complainant, is now a Lieutenant with the Houston ISD Police Department and is about to retire. He said he would make it up to Dallas with his wife for the property hearing. He was, of course, amazed that the pistol was found this many years later.”

Sgt. David Franklin
Dallas Police Department
Texas

LeadsOnline helps Houston PD crack down on local business’ employee theft

“We received a phone call from the president of a company regarding possible employee theft. She informed me that she suspected that some of her employees were stealing copper cable and selling it as scrap, and she did not know what to do. A few weeks later, the complainant called again stating that 14,000 feet of network cable had been discovered missing, and she suspected that it was her employees. The complainant had filed a theft report with the Harris County Sheriff’s Department. I requested that she send me a list of all her employees that have access to the material, and she sent a list of 24 names and drivers license numbers. I ran the names and driver license number on LeadsOnline, and found that between January 1, 2014 and October 15, 2014, eight employees sold over 9,000 pounds of copper cable to area scrap metal businesses. I filed charges on all eight employees and made arrangements to arrest them at work. Since the investigation was started, two of the individuals had left the company. We took the six individuals into custody at the work place. The arrest sent out a very loud and clear message to the rest of the employees that stealing from the company was not tolerated. The total amount of the loss by the company was estimated at over $150,000 dollars.”

Officer Oscar Gamez
Houston Police Department
Texas

Houston police arrest suspects for scrapping large amounts of stolen copper wire

“I was called out to a scene by a patrol officer who had a large amount of wire stolen from a 30-acre yard that inventoried pipe and wiring. The wire was distinctive because it was encased in an orange, ribbed insulation. Within that insulation was a steel sheathing, then three large wires and one small wire inside. I followed the drag marks on the ground to a cut in the fenced in the perimeter. The scene also showed a roll of duct tape near the wooden spool that the wire was stolen from and pieces of raveled duct tape along the drag marks on the ground. I noted the address of the apartment complex just outside the cut fence and ran the address of the apartment complex through LeadsOnline. I found the suspect because he sold the exact material to a scrap yard and used an ID that had an address of that apartment complex. I was able to recover $6,000 worth of wire at the scrap yard and charge him for third degree aggregate theft for two thefts that occurred at the same location exactly one month apart. Without LeadsOnline there would not have been any leads in this case, and the thieves would have gotten away with over $66,000 worth of copper from the same complainant in a one month period.”

Sr. Ofc. Kyle Brauner
Houston Police Department
Texas

Houston PD obtains confessions after using LeadsOnline

“In April, aluminum grates were stolen from around downtown Houston. The grates were placed around the trees near the sidewalk. I obtained pictures of the grates from the victim. I sent a theft alert out to the scrap metal industry at the end of April looking for the grates. A few days later, I asked Officer Cohn to look for the grates on LeadsOnline. Officer Cohn located the grates sold to a local scrap yard within an hour. We tracked the grates to the final destination and were able to recover 6 grates the same day. Two suspects have been identified, confessions were obtained and charges will be filed.”

Sgt. Jesse Fite
Houston Police Department
Texas

Officer shows great dedication to law enforcement

“In April, Officer Brauner was researching scrap sales on LeadsOnline and discovered the sale of new copper bus bars. Officer Brauner’s investigation revealed the theft of over $30,000.00 worth of material stolen from the complainant. The complainant said in a letter they never suspected the material was being stolen and the process was extremely quick and efficient. Officer Brauner’s investigation resulted in the arrest of two suspects and the recovery of $1214.72 worth of material. I would like to commend Officer K.B Brauner for his hard work and dedication to the citizens of Houston, Harris County, Texas.”

Sgt. Jesse Fite
Houston Police Department
Texas

Suspect who scrapped 2.5 million dollars in brass arrested and charged with the help of LeadsOnline

“During an arbitrary search for brass being scrapped in the Houston area, I located a load of brass pumps. I ran a complete scrap history of the person and learned he had scrapped the same material approximately 150 times over the past year. I located the owner of the material which was a company that manufactured the product. I learned the individual worked for the company. The total monetary loss of the product was estimated to be approximately 2.5 million. The individual was subsequently arrested and charged.”

Officer Audie Cohn
Houston Police Department
Texas

Suspect arrested for stealing engraved ring during aggravated assault

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

Officer Mayra Seay
Houston Police Department
Texas

Rice University Police recover $30,000 violin stolen from campus

“Jiyeon Min’s $30,000 violin, along with a pair of $5,000 bows, went missing before her final scheduled performance as a student at the Shepherd School of Music Presidential Concert at Stude Hall. Sgt. Gary Spears picked up the case and knew where to look first. The first thing we did was a LeadsOnline search. I gave it a whirl and searched for all violins with that brand name pawned in Texas and Louisiana over the weekend. There was only one, and it was at a business just down the street. They thought it was worth about $5,000 and they paid him $200 for it. The suspect is known to police for previous thefts, and a felony warrant was issued for his arrest. Spears recovered the violin May 16, and Min, who had gone home to Atlanta, hopped a plane back to Houston that day. She was delighted enough to treat RUPD to coffee and cake as a thank you. This, for me, is the highest-priced item I’ve recovered from a business. You’re getting into the price of cars with a $30,000 violin. It was a big case for us.”

Sgt. Gary Spears
Rice University Police Department
Texas