“Another recovery from using LeadsOnline. The item was stolen in 2013 and recovered 2016. LeadsOnline has helped this department to recover several items including guns. It has also helped in scrap metal thefts in and around the county. It has been a very useful tool and the people I’ve talked with are very helpful and professional. Thanks LeadsOnline!”
Investigator John Cawvey
Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
Arkansas
“A local business came to us on Jan. 18 about the suspected activity of internal metal theft. I used the LeadsOnline database to check area pawn shops and scrap yards. I was able to identify that the suspect who worked for the business was the same person who had been making frequent trips to the Indianapolis scrap yards and was scrapping several hundred pounds of metal every few days. The first documented activity started on Nov. 7, and the last reported transaction was on Jan. 11 of the following year. In all, there were 13 transactions documented. When shown the LeadsOnline documentation, the suspect confessed to taking the scrap metal without authorization and scrapping it at an Indianapolis scrap yard. All total, there was 5,668lbs of metal, 47lbs of brass, 193lbs of lead, and 70lbs of other metal; for a grand total weight of 5,978lbs.Criminal charges are being filed.”
Cpl. Jeff Klayer, Detective
Brownsburg Police Department
Indiana
Quick look in LeadsOnline proves suspect whereabouts in Arkansas metal theft case
“In December, a town in Arkansas was hit hard by a rash of copper wire thefts, causing thousands of dollars in repair and replacement for businesses in the community. The police put together a suspect profile and came up with a specific individual, but needed to completely prove that he’d been a part of those particular thefts. When they ran his driver’s license number through the LeadsOnline database, they were able to immediately see where he had recently sold some copper wire at one of the local scrap yards. An arrest was made on the suspect. The LeadsOnline Metal Theft System is run statewide in Arkansas.”
“My office was signed up on LeadsOnline less than a day when we cleared a stolen outside air conditioning unit that had been sold at a scrap iron dealer in Lake Village, Arkansas. We are very pleased with the service and would highly recommend LeadsOnline to all law enforcement agencies.”
Chf. Dep. Kenneth Green
West Carroll Parish Sheriff’s Department
Oak Grove, Louisiana
“A complaint was made to the Grant Parish Sheriffs Office of the theft of a large aluminum pontoon boat, 10 to 12 feet in length. The theft occurred on a weekend night. That Monday, check with LeadsOnline M.T.I.S showed that the pontoon had been cut in three sections and sold to a scrap yard in Alexandria, LA. Less than 16 hours from the time of the theft, the remains of the pontoon were found and three suspects were identified. Thanks to LeadsOnline and the information obtained, the case was closed in less than 16 hours.”
Det. Doug James
Grant Parish Sheriffs Office
Colfax, Louisiana
On Dec. 12 – A business reported a large amount of fabricated steel, stolen. They reviewed their video surveillance and discovered two males loaded metal into a white Chevrolet Suburban two days prior.
Dec. 14 – Video of the theft shown on a Crime Stoppers segment on the local news.
Dec. 15 – I received a tip regarding who the suspect could be. I checked him through LeadsOnline and found three very large scrap tickets (just over 5,400 lbs) for Dec. 10. I pulled up the tickets and saw the photos of him and the vehicle that he was using. The vehicle and his clothing were the same as in the surveillance video and it was obvious as to his identity. I also checked LeadsOnline and ran the tag on the suspect’s vehicle. I located a ticket for Dec. 10, where an accomplice scrapped a large amount of metal (just over 1,800 lbs). In his photo, it showed a picture of both suspects, along with the white Suburban, still wearing the same clothing.
Dec. 15 – First suspect arrested at his residence for theft of property $1,000 to $5,000.
Dec. 18 – Second suspect arrested for a warrant that I had obtained for him for theft of property $1,000 to $5,000. The property was estimated at $3,500.00 but was not able to be recovered. There was not believed to be any additional damage.”
Cpl. Jeff Craghead
Property Crimes
Fort Smith Police Department
Arkansas
“There were several items stolen from some property in Cleveland County. Three days later, Deputy Chance Dodson found the property at a scrap yard by using LeadsOnline. All the property was recovered and three of the four suspects have been arrested. LeadsOnline is a great tool for law enforcement.”
Investigator Josh Bolland
Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department
Arkansas
The hotel may be deserted, but the Police Department sure is active
“One of our patrol officers spotted a car backed into a deserted hotel on the outskirts of town. Upon investigation, the car was found to be a hotbed of stolen copper wire. Suspects had entered the hotel and begun stripping copper products from various sources, defacing most of the property in the process. I used LeadsOnline to search the tag off of the car, and I was able to find three crooks selling the copper pipes and wire to an area scrap yard. Interviews and fingerprints have led to the arrest of two suspects for the copper thefts, and there are two more arrests pending. We couldn’t have done it without LeadsOnline!”
Det. Brad Handley
Eureka Springs Police Department
Arkansas
Fool me once? Nope. You can’t fool me even once with LeadsOnline in my corner
“A suspect was scrapping an odd amount of copper with peculiar frequency and regularity. We had discovered, using LeadsOnline, that the crook had been scrapping various copper and brass products over a six month time period. We were able to determine that the subject had stolen $180,000 worth of scrap metal from his employer. After his arrest, he was released on bond, but his criminal activity continued. After being contacted in reference to a burglary, I was able to locate the same suspect pawning his ex-wife’s $6,000 ring set after breaking into her home and stealing the items. Once again, LeadsOnline directed us to the ring set where police confiscated the item. He was once again arrested. Thanks LeadsOnline! Scoreboard: Copper Thief – 0 points, Detective Moore and LeadsOnline – 2 points.”
Det. Brad Moore
Georgetown Police Department
Kentucky
“Det. Blevins ran the name of a subject in a stolen vehicle case through the LeadsOnline system. It showed they had scrapped a large number of vehicle bodies to this scrap yard. After viewing the photographs of the subject’s scrapped vehicle bodies, several ongoing cases have started on this subject. Without the information provided by the LeadsOnline system, this subject would have gone unnoticed.”
Det. John Desizlets
North Little Rock Police Department
Arkansas
“LeadsOnline has once again proven itself to be one of the most useful tools in my investigatory arsenal! We received two reports of copper downspouts being stolen from a local church and a residence. After looking at the information available I went to LeadsOnline and searched for more than 100 pounds of copper being scrapped. Within a span of minutes I had a number of results, one of which contained a person of interest tag from Bexley Police, another local agency. With the information provided by their detective I was able to link the cases together and had good suspects for the crime. Less than a week later the two suspects had surrendered and I was able to obtain confessions showing that the two had been responsible for almost 2 dozen thefts of copper from the Columbus area! The most impressive part of the whole story is that the person of interest tag had only been put on my suspect a few hours before I did my search. Thanks to the information sharing system attached to LeadsOnline I got the break I needed in a case that could have otherwise gone unsolved. Thanks again LeadsOnline!”
Sgt. Stephen Mette
Worthington Police Department
Ohio
900 pounds of stolen metal found by investigators using LeadsOnline metal theft investigation system
“A local business filed a report with the Tishomingo, Mississippi County Sheriff’s Department concerning stolen metal. A fence surrounding the business was cut, and approximately 900 pounds of scrap metal was stolen. Information was collected and an individual was listed as a possible suspect. I checked the name of the individual and discovered that he had sold around 900 pounds of scrap to a scrap yard in a neighboring county. The individual stated that he was not involved with the crime during the interview. The individual was shown a copy of the transaction receipt from LeadsOnline documenting the date and time of the transaction along with a description of what was sold. The transaction receipt also had a picture of his driver’s license. The individual confessed to the crime and was charged with Grand Larceny.”
Det. Logan Vaughn
Tishomingo Country Sheriff’s Department
Mississippi
Metal theft suspect identified by detective using LeadsOnline metal theft investigation system
“An old dryer and some scrap metal were reported from a residence in our county. A witness provided a license plate number off of the suspect vehicle. By using LeadsOnline, it was possible to get the identities of the two suspects that had stolen the property. A warrant was obtained for the two suspects. One week later, the suspects were arrested on the warrants and both suspects gave a confession to stealing the property. If it would not have been for LeadsOnline there would not have been enough evidence to tie the suspects to the stolen property. LeadsOnline is a great tool and I wish it would have been around ten years ago. The staff at LeadsOnline are very resourceful, and if you have a problem, they have an answer pretty quick.”
Det. Josh Bolland
Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department
Arkansas
“A local cemetery began seeing a large amount of flower urns missing. The cemetery did not report the thefts to police but did send a letter to a local scrap yard advising of the thefts. One month later, we were made aware of the incident by an employee at a local scrap yard but were unable to locate the person selling the flower urns. Upon searching the LeadsOnline database we found another suspect who was related to the person in question and were able to further the investigation. Four suspects were arrested and two of them confessed to the crime. The four suspects were responsible for taking more than 600 flower urns from the cemetary. Three of them were charged with 612 counts of theft of copper from a cemetery and are currently in jail awaiting trial. The fourth suspect is also in jail and was charged with 30 counts of theft of copper from a cemetery. Photographs obtained from the LeadsOnline database clearly show the suspects selling the flower urns. The suspects cut the urns up in several pieces before selling them. The total loss to the cemetery is over $100,000.”
Det. Chance Cappel
Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office
Louisiana
“A construction company reported the theft of approximately $60,000 in steel road construction plates from a road construction site in Raceland. The company estimated their weight at approx. 10,000 pounds and the name of the company was burned into them. After coming up with a suspect’s name we were able to use LeadsOnline metal theft investigations system and find where the suspect had scrapped 9,188 pounds of steel at a scrap yard in Huntington, West Virginia. We contacted the scrap yard, and learned that steel they had bought was steel plates. Huntington PD was then contacted, and they checked the plates and found the name of the construction company was burned into the metal. A warrant was obtained for the suspect, and the construction company was able to pick up their road plates. If it had not been for LeadsOnline, this case would probably never have been solved.”
Chief Donald Sammons
Raceland Police Department
Kentucky
“We began investigating a homicide case in which the victim, Jack Markowitz, was the buyer and seller of catalytic converters and also reported to LeadsOnline. The victim was found dead inside his burning vehicle on Hwy 57 in Gautier, Mississippi. With little to go on, Investigators soon began piecing together the puzzle. Witnesses who passed by the area described to police a black dodge pickup truck with a metal cage on the back that was seen parked next to the victim prior to the crime. Investigators began using LeadsOnline to run inquiries on each person that the victim recently did business with since he was a reporting dealer. During this search, investigators ran the name Steven Brown who was supposed to meet the victim earlier in the day. What investigators discovered, cracked the case wide open. A recent transaction of catalytic converters between Steven Brown and the victim showed a photograph of the catalytic converters, as well as the back of Brown’s black dodge truck and metal cage. Using this information from LeadsOnline helped investigators solve their homicide case in less than eight hours and resulted in a charge of capital murder against Steven Brown. LeadsOnline has been an invaluable tool for the Gautier Police Department, allowing us to solve countless property crimes. In this case, LeadsOnline helped a reporting scrap metal dealer lead police to the criminal who took his life. We look forward to continued service with LeadsOnline.”
Det. Jonathan Whitfield
Gautier Police Department
Mississippi
Statewide electronic reporting system for scrap theft alerts leads police metal theft suspects
“I received a picture of a vehicle where someone was stealing metal. The owner of the metal gave me names of some people in the area hauling scrap metal. I checked their names with LeadsOnline, and one of them had pictures of not only the vehicle, but the man’s metal was on it. Thanks LeadsOnline.”
Sgt. Robert Garner
Smith County Sheriff’s Department
Mississippi
Suspects linked to more than 40 valve thefts causing $75,000 in damages
“The Peoria Police Department’s Impact Team used LeadsOnline to connect three suspects with a dozen cases of stolen water flow valves in Peoria. At the time the three suspects were arrested, they had at least 10 water flow valves with them that have since been connected to a theft in Glendale. In fact, investigators linked the suspects to 20 cases in Scottsdale, and an additional 10 to 15 cases in Glendale. The suspects targeted commercial areas where multiple water flow devices were located in a row. They would steal at least 5 to 10 valves at a time going to the locations late at night or the very early morning. The suspects would take the valves to a scrap yard where they would get about $100 per valve for their precious metal content. However, the businesses who were victims of this crime usually have to pay thousands in repairs costs and have no access to water until the repairs are finished.”
Officer Luis Grijalva
Peoria Police Department
Arizona
“With the help of LeadsOnline I was able to close a metal theft case the day after it was reported. I had a witness who described the suspect’s vehicle and the same vehicle and suspect showed up at the scrap yard the same day of the theft. I wouldn’t have been able to close the case had it not been for LeadsOnline! Awesome feeling!”
Inv. Natasha Horner
Pike County Sheriff’s Office
Georgia
Missouri Police use electronic scrap metal database to solve battery thefts
“I was investigating several reports of batteries being stolen from vehicles in the Springfield, Missouri area. Upon obtaining a possible suspect name, I searched her name in LeadsOnline, and I was able to determine she had sold several batteries to a local “scrap yard” in the date range of the thefts of the batteries. I interviewed the suspect, and she confessed to stealing the batteries and selling them. The suspect also admitted her boyfriend was involved in stealing batteries and selling them. I searched his name in LeadsOnline and found he was selling several batteries as well. During the interview with him, he confessed to stealing batteries and selling them for cash to a scrap yard. Although I was unable to recover the stolen batteries, I was able to charge two suspects with Felony Stealing.”
Cpl. Jeremy Anderson
Springfield Police Department
Missouri
“Our agency was investigating the theft of scrap metal. The same address was being targeted several times. We had a good idea of who was doing it, but even though there was video, the suspects were covering their faces. We got a suspect to start cooperating, and she told us who was involved. We started checking the name of the suspect that had the scrap metal permit, and through LeadsOnline, we were able to match up the items the suspect scrapped with the incident dates. Since we were able to corroborate the cooperating suspect’s statements, we were able to confront the scrapper with this information during the interview. The second suspect began to confess and give us names of other suspects. Having some of the scrap yards in our county on LeadsOnline really speeds us the investigation.”
Sgt. Henry Beck
Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office
South Carolina
“The city of Raleigh, North Carolina was experiencing a rising trend in the theft of metal storm grates over a period of two months. Working as a metal theft detective, it is sometimes hard to track stolen metal and identify the suspects in these cases. LeadsOnline made the difference in this case. In total, there were seven cases that specifically identified this series of theft. Using LeadsOnline, a suspect was identified that had been scrapping nothing but storm grates and miscellaneous shredder material. The same day I identified the suspect, an officer called me to tell me he had taken a report of some stolen storm grates, and just missed the suspect at the scrap yard, according to witnesses. With the investigative information obtained from the reports, witnesses and LeadsOnline information, I was able to place the suspect at the scene of the crimes within time, proximity and possession of stolen property. LeadsOnline helped me clear out seven cases, a pattern crime and identify $12,850 in stolen property at a scrap yard.”
Det. Wilbur O’Neal
Raleigh Police Department
North Carolina
“A citizen reported a heat pump unit and some property as stolen from his rental house. I located two weed eaters with LeadsOnline, identified one suspect, and with the video from the business, I was able to identify another suspect who sold the rest of the scrap metal. Two suspects charged and case closed! Thanks Leads.”
Det. John Mcmurray
Bean Station Police Department
Tennessee
“I used the scrap search and found my bad guy within 10 minutes. I then had the scrap yard send me their entire list of transactions for the bad guy. With the complete list I interviewed the bad guy, and he confessed to taking the scrap from his work. Right now it is estimated to be in excess of $5,000. Made my job easy. Total time from search to closed = two hours. Thanks!”
Sgt. Richard Webster
Park Hills Police Department
Kentucky
“Our office received a complaint from a subject in our parish who said his farm equipment was stolen and possibly sold as scrap metal. The victim’s neighbor said he saw two males on the property the day before, cutting up his farm equipment with a cutting torch. The complainant said he checked his property and had approximately $2,500 in farm equipment stolen. The complainant gave me a name of two subjects he suspected. I placed both of those subjects in a photograph lineup and showed the lineups to the neighbor who identified both suspects. I logged into LeadsOnline and ran a search of both suspect’s names, and one of the suspects had been to a scrap metal dealership in Bastrop, LA after the theft. I called the business and they verified the scrap metal sold fit the description of the farm equipment that was reported stolen. I secured felony warrants for both suspects, and both were jailed pending bond.”
Inv. Roy Williams
Richland Parish Sheriff Office
Louisiana
Police use LeadsOnline to identify suspect in out of jurisdiction metal theft case
“Detective William Skaggs received information from Captain Ollie Collins, using LeadsOnline, about a suspect scrapping a large amount of copper. Det. Skaggs then made contact with the business who told him the suspect was coming in multiple times in the past week with copper. It was known through our department that Blytheville, Police Department had a copper theft report that matched some of the property our suspect scrapped. We spoke with detectives from Blytheville and it was believed this could be connected. Shortly after leaving the scrap business, I received a phone call from the scrap business that our suspect just called and told them he was on his way with more ‘pretty copper!’ The car our suspect was driving was obviously loaded with something heavy by the way the back was squatting. The suspect gave me consent to search his vehicle, and we found the truck was packed full of cut copper wire and some type of copper sheets. It was discovered the copper wire was stolen in Blytheville. This case was ultimately turned over to the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Department for further investigation and prosecution, but without the assistance of LeadsOnline, the theft would have never been discovered.”
Sgt. Chris Ellis
Osceola Police Department
Arkansas
Suspect arrested for scrapping stolen metal outside of sheriff’s jurisdiction
“I located a suspect who was scrapping large amounts of stolen metal, over a couple months, outside of my jurisdiction. After some research, I was able to identify the items as two distinct parts for a train, which were manufactured in our area. After contacting the manufacturing business it was determined that over $30,000 worth of product was stolen. I was able to match up the weight of the stolen product with the weight of the product scrapped at two separate scrap yards by our suspect. This was confirmed by the photos from LeadsOnline and the scrap yards. The same subject also sold various other items, which were retrieved, and I located the business where the items were stolen from. Once the suspect was confronted with the LeadsOnline photos of her scrapping the items she gave a complete confession to the felony theft and a separate burglary.”
Det. Nathan Moravec
Kane County Sheriff’s Office
Illinois
Serial burglar in Arizona taken off the streets with help of LeadsOnline
“I assisted in an investigation regarding a stolen vehicle where the victim knew the suspect. Details about how the vehicle was stolen were sketchy at first, and it was not clear as to whether the suspect had the legal authority to drive the vehicle. During the initial follow up, we learned the suspect was wanted out of the Arizona Department of Corrections for a parole violation. The suspect was a former employee at a scrap yard and frequently took items to various recycling yards in the area from thefts he committed. Since the suspect was wanted for questioning in a stolen vehicle case, was the subject of an outstanding warrant, and was more than likely involved in several theft/burglary cases, it became a high priority to track this suspect down. Using LeadsOnline, I learned valuable information about his pattern of selling. I made contact with the manager of a scrap yard he frequented and informed him of the investigation. They agreed to call me when the suspect showed up. Within two hours my phone was ringing and the suspect had arrived at the yard. I took the suspect into custody as he left, recovered the stolen vehicle, eliminated the warrant and found he had just committed multiple burglaries of vacant residents. Without the information from LeadsOnline, this individual who had no permanent address, would not have been located and apprehended. A highly active thief is now back in prison serving out his sentence and is also up on new charges thanks to LeadsOnline. Thank you for all you do.”
Officer Kris Bertz
Phoenix Police Department
Arizona
Suspect confessed to stealing vehicle and scrap metal in Boone County
“A local business in Boone County, Kentucky was burglarized and several scrap metal items and a vehicle were stolen. The crime was reported and the next day we searched LeadsOnline and the results tracked back to one of our suspects. The suspect confessed to the burglary, theft of the vehicle, and told us who the accomplice was. LeadsOnline was essential to the unfolding of this investigation, the recovery of property, and the future successful prosecution of multiple suspects.”
Deputy Sheriff Adam Schepis
Boone County Sheriff’s Office
Kentucky
Unknown scrap thief identified with search capabilities of LeadsOnline
“LeadsOnline is an invaluable tool! We were getting hit with scrap metal thefts at a particular business here in Greenfield. I placed a camera in the area and captured photos of the suspect stealing the metal. I was only able to capture a partial license plate of 459. I entered the partial plate and the words stainless steel into the scrap search fields of LeadsOnline. I received a hit on the search and after reviewing the photos posted by the scrap yard, I identified my suspect. Thanks to LeadsOnline we now have another thief off the streets.”
Sgt. Jerald Fortner
Greenfield Police Department
Indiana
San Antonio PD catches another copper thief with LeadsOnline
“Using the scrap yard search on LeadsOnline, I was able to locate and positively identify an active burglar who has been hitting the industrial businesses in our jurisdiction. The burglar was breaking into the businesses and stealing copper. Although I was not able to recover the copper stolen in the burglaries, I was able to file on the burglar. The suspect has a lengthy criminal record including multiple burglary cases. LeadsOnline provided photos of the burglar which showed him wearing the same clothing and unique backpack he was wearing when he committed the burglary. FYI this isn’t the first time I have been able to catch copper thieves using LeadsOnline. Thank you for your help!”
Det. Alejandro Martinez
San Antonio 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
“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
“As all of the Investigators know, Scrapyard Search is a very powerful and useful tool. This year I had a very interesting case where a subject was breaking into cell tower sites and then accessing the locked metal cabinets that contained the cell tower site battery back-ups. Each carrier has its own locked cabinet containing their own back-up batteries. This subject would access the cabinets and disconnect and take the batteries getting between 6-18 batteries at each site. (Battery 200 lbs. and $800.00 each) Also leaving the cell tower site with no back-up or 911, if power is lost. The subject would then go to an area scrapyard with the batteries, posing as a cell company employee, with forged paperwork and sell the batteries as scrap. This subject was entering cell sites in several states and taking and scrapping batteries. This subject did this in my jurisdiction several times and later exited the state. A month later, he re-entered the state and started scrapping the back-up batteries again and that’s when I caught him at a local scrapyard with stolen batteries and later he was charged with the thefts. This would not have been accomplished without the scrapyard search and these cell companies would still have their cell towers at risk. Thanks, LeadsOnline.”
Det. J. Desizlets
North Little Rock Police Department
Arkansas