Stolen firearm reported to NCIC and found on LeadsOnline

“Our department recently was granted access to LeadsOnline. I logged on today and saw a hit for a stolen firearm from our agency that was generated four months ago. I was able to confirm the firearm was still stolen and the victim was notified and was very grateful. We have a suspect and a lead for our growing burglary of vehicle crimes here in Kingsville…this is my first hit and I am very proud of it, thanks LeadsOnline and what a great staff.”

Det. Tony Gonzales
Kingsville Police Department
Texas

Pawnshops and law enforcement working together to solve crimes

“For the past 15 years Chavela Simmons, the owner of All-N-One Pawn shop in Kanawha City, has enforced strict guidelines when a customer comes in with something to pawn or sell. We’ve always done paperwork even if we buy a DVD for 50 cents or a dollar … it doesn’t matter,” Simmons said. “We take the person’s ID, write it up, and it goes to the city of Charleston.” And she’s taking another step to help protect her business by signing up for LeadsOnline, a national database that the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department and the Charleston Police Department subscribe to — to track stolen items. “It can make a huge difference in recovering stolen property and getting people to justice that are doing the break ins,” Kanawha County Sheriff Mike Rutherford said. Signing up for the online program may soon become mandatory for any second-hand shop in the county if the “pawn shop ordinance” passes. Simmons’ shop is one of several in the area that are ahead of the game. “I think it’s going to be easier at the end of the day,” Simmons said. “We do our books and close it out. It’s just going to be one click, and everybody will have access to it.” All it means for Simmons is swapping out paper for a computer screen. It’s a move she hopes will save her shop money and trouble. The ordinance would not only include places like pawn shops and second-hand stores, but also scrapyards to help put a dent in copper theft. Since 2009, Rutherford says almost 100 stolen items have been tracked down in the county because of LeadsOnline. Forty-eight of those items were guns.”

Kanawha county Sheriff’s Department
West Virginia

Bowling Green police detective solves 15 year old stolen gun case 300 miles away using LeadsOnline

“I was checking my local pawn shop and I checked the possible NCIC hits on guns. I started to investigate some of the possible hits and this is what happened to a hand gun. A .380 semi auto pistol was sold to my local pawnshop. LeadsOnline matched it with a possible stolen gun hit from 15 years ago out of Bollinger County Missouri Sheriff’s Office. This county is about 300 miles from my location. I made contact with the reporting agency and they were able to locate the original report where this gun was reported as “lost or stolen”. The reporting party reported that his pistol had been stolen or it was washed away in flood water. To our surprise this “stolen or missing” gun was sold to my local pawn shop by the reporting party’s ex wife after all of these years. In less than an hour this 1997 case was solved with the assistance of Leads Online.”

Det. Jeff Kaufman
Bowling Green Police Department
Missouri

Stolen gun found five years after theft

“I was alerted to a hit on LeadsOnline concerning a stolen handgun. This handgun was stolen out of a vehicle in May, 2008. Using LeadsOnline I was able to clear the suspect that had sold the handgun, and then I tracked it back to a pawn ticket from August, 2011. This ticket gave me a suspect who confessed to having the gun in his possession illegally. I was able to make an arrest this suspect.”

Inv. Gary Gilley
Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office
Louisiana

Suspect strikes twice in theft cases

“There were some guns stolen at a residence, and then a month later, a generator was stolen from a deer camp. I checked LeadsOnline and found the generator, and I also found two of the stolen guns from the other burglary, and I was able to make the arrest. It was the same person who committed both crimes. Thanks LeadsOnline!!”

Chief Dep. Pete Richardson
Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office
Arkansas

WWII pistol returned to owner 22 years after being stolen

“Back in 1991…yes, 1991, I was in high school at the time, and the Delhi Township Police were running us off the lot of Burger King, when they weren’t busy taking burglary reports. In this report, the victim had several guns stolen from his residence. One of those guns was a Mauser Broomhandle with a wooden holster that also becomes a stock. It is a highly collectible gun and for trivia purposes, also the one Luke Skywalker and Han Solo’s blasters were modeled after. My old police chief was a detective at the time and he was eventually able to make an arrest in the offense. However, despite every effort he was unable to recover the stolen Mauser Broomhandle. More than 20 years later, a gun collector sold the stolen Mauser Broomhandle to a shop/gun dealer in Covington, Kentucky, and we were notified through LeadsOnline. The victim was notified and he did not blink an eye at paying to get back the gun his deceased father brought back with him from World War II. I met the victim at the store, and he literally had tears in his eyes. He was so overwhelmed by his emotions about getting the pistol back. After this much time, he never thought it would be found. As the victim went to write a check for the gun, the store manager said the gun collector came in and paid the money back. Some things in life are worth more than money, like a family heirloom and LeadsOnline.”

Det. Adam Cox
Delhi Township Police Department
Ohio

Large amounts of stolen metal recovered thanks to statewide scrap metal database

“We responded to a report of a large amount of metal being stolen. At the time of the report, employees could not give an inventory of the items missing. A few days later, I followed up and discovered that more metal had been stolen over the weekend. This time they had a better inventory and provided a list of Items. I located two transactions that were sold to a shop, and they provided us with a vehicle description for the suspect. I went back to LeadsOnline and located another large metal transaction that was sold to the same shop. I recovered a total of about 4,000 pounds of stolen metal. Thank you LeadsOnline!”

Inv. Daniel A. Thomas
Vicksburg Police Department
Mississippi

Missouri police recover stolen guns and solve major cases using LeadsOnline

“LeadsOnline is making me a rock star! I just solved a big case using LeadsOnline involving multiple stolen firearms and unlawful possession of firearms by a felon. While investigating a stolen property case, I discovered the suspect sold several stolen guns to a local shop. The suspect admitted he stole the guns from a family member and sold them. I made contact with the family member, and she could not believe it. The family member pressed charges, and her guns were returned to her. I would not have solved this case if it was not for LeadsOnline! This is the second time within a couple of months I have solved a major case by using LeadsOnline. Thank you for making me look good!”

Det. Tony Perkins
Boone County Sheriff’s Department
Missouri

Putting a stop to employee theft

“In May, we began investigating a case of nearly $150,000 worth of stolen batteries. The suspect was selling more than 10,000 pounds of locomotive batteries that appeared to be stolen from his employer. LeadsOnline showed the suspect had been selling the batteries over the past three years to recyclers across Alabama. Without this evidence, the suspect would have continued his activity and the business would still be losing money.”

Det. Justin Howard
Birmingham Police Department
Alabama

Felony charges for misuse of company credit card

“I was investigating an unlawful use of credit card case where an employee used the company’s credit card to purchase tools from Home Depot, but the tools never ended up at the business. The employee claimed he bought the tools and delivered them to the business, and he said someone must have stolen them. I checked the employee’s home, Craigslist, eBay and the other sales sites, but I was unable to locate any of the stolen tools. When I checked LeadsOnline, I found the employee sold several of the missing tools at multiple pawn shops in our area. Along with the recovery of the tools, I obtained video of the employee during the actual sale of the items, which lead to felony charges against the employee. Without assistance from LeadsOnline, this case might not have come to a successful conclusion.”

Det. Michael Pentecost
Glendale Heights Police Department
Illinois