News and Success Stories

“Det. Charles James, using the LeadsOnline NCIC feature, found the stolen items such as four iPads, two professional cameras, three gaming systems, one laptop and two TVs. We identified them with a Dallas PD offense and supplemented the offenses for the assigned detectives to inform the complainants their stolen property had been found and recovered. These were 12 different offenses and resulted in the recovery of $8,600 of stolen property along with suspect information for the detectives to follow up with. Thanks for your help!”

Sgt. David Franklin
Dallas Police Department
Texas

“I just wanted to take a minute to say `thank you` to LeadsOnline! Thanks to being a member, it has assisted me in over 36 additional warrants this year. I have recovered everything from trucks to jewelry to Xboxes and fishing poles. This is like picking fish out of a barrel!! All I have to do is log in, and I start matching up pawned/scrapped/stolen articles with the thefts and burglaries that have occurred in our County. Once I show the suspect the LeadsOnline printout from the pawn or scrap yard ticket… the confessions come easy! I no longer have to spend time and gas traveling to all the different pawn shops and scrapyards. Thank you, thank you, thank you LeadsOnline! You’ve made my job so much easier, my arrests are up, and it has saved so much time to allow me to handle the additional caseload that has risen due to the falling economy (crime is rising daily). I also want to say a big THANK YOU for answering all my questions and being a great support system! She always seems to be as excited as I am when I get a hit/match to stolen items.”

Sgt. Laura Hughes
Lamar County Sheriff’s Office
Georgia

“Within just a few short minutes of logging on to the site for the 30-day trial, our agency was able to solve and close three open cases for burglary and theft. The quick closure of those cases led us to invest in a one-year membership with Leads. Since then, we have solved many more cases, most within a short time from receiving the call to logging on to the site and finding our stolen items. This has truly been a great investigative tool for our agency.”

Sgt. Mark Antrobus
Dayton Police Department
Kentucky

“A motor vehicle theft where the suspect took the vehicle from his parents and pawned it at an unknown location. Through a Leads search the vehicle was located at a pawn shop. Follow up investigation indicates the vehicle was not stolen but pawned by the son, the rightful owner. Case resolved.”

Sgt. Joel Post
Longmont Police Department
Colorado

“A couple of months ago I was contacted by a friend of mine who works for a neighboring county. He gave me the name of a guy who was a suspect in a burglary. I ran the name through LeadsOnline for him, but was not able to find the property that he was looking for. Instead, I found the suspect had sold different stolen items from a separate burglary. The Investigator told me that he had not even suspected this guy of being anywhere near the second burglary. Thanks to LeadsOnline the owner was able to get his property back, the case was solved and now that agency is signing up for access to LeadsOnline. Thank you again.”

Sgt. Greg Stewart
Erath County Sheriff’s Office
Texas

“Longmont Police Department’s Community Service Officer / Detective Beth Buchholtz has the primary duty of conducting pawn investigations using LeadsOnline as a major tool in these investigations. During the course of her duties, she regularly reviews surveillance footage and compares those she sees with arrest photos. In doing this, she is able to identify many suspects by seeing photos of them. She recently viewed the surveillance photos from a bank robbery and realized the suspect was a person who she knew had been making a large number of pawn transactions. She passed this information on to the Robbery Detective. Additional follow up was conducted by other Detectives; an arrest warrant was obtained for and an arrest made of the person CSO Buchholtz identified. Not only is Beth adept at conducting pawn investigations she learns the players” in Longmont and in this case was able to assist in the arrest of the bank robbery suspect.””

Sgt. Joel
Longmont Police Department
Colorado

“As soon as I clocked in I was asked by my Major to investigate a reported theft case. Thanks to the photographs and bio information LeadsOnline made available, I had a signed arrest warrant for the suspect 30 minutes later. Thanks for making me look good LeadsOnline.”

Sgt. Brian Lee
Fayette County Sheriff’s Office
Georgia

“We investigated a theft from a vehicle involving a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. A local search by serial number yielded no results. Later on, we received an NCIC notification from LeadsOnline. We researched it and discovered our NCIC entry was an exact match to a ticket from a business. We were able to recover the victim’s property and the local jurisdiction is investigating the illegal sale.”

Sgt. Timothy Woll
Cumru Township Police Department
Pennsylvania

“We checked LeadsOnline for a known subject as a person of interest on a burglary of habitation and theft case. The subject broke into a residence by breaking a window to gain entry. Unfortunately for him, the inside double glass window did not break and fell to the ground. The suspect entered and stepped all over the window with his tennis shoes and took a several items of high value. When investigators approached the male subject and asked for consent to search his residence, the male subject agreed knowing that he did not have any of the stolen items at the house. Investigators knew that already and were looking for his shoes. The shoes were located inside the bedroom with the same exact shoe print as the ones left on the window. Investigators advised him to sit tight and wait for the arrest warrant to come out. Further investigation revealed that he had sold most of the items at a local business. Thanks, LeadsOnline for the help.”

Sgt. David Liendo
Webb County Sheriff’s Office
Texas

“In April, Dyer Police Department detectives used LeadsOnline to locate and recover a commemorative style ring, provided to the now 74-year-old victim, for completing 40 years of service with NIPSCO. Although all of the items taken from the victim’s home had been reduced to scrap, this item, which holds enormous sentimental value to him, was able to be recovered.”

Sgt. David Stein
Dyer Police Department
Indiana

“I found two guitars that were stolen using the LeadsOnline system. I was able to track the suspect down and get confessions to clear 14 other burglaries. Thanks!”

Sgt. Fred Cochran
Blount County Sheriff’s Office
Alabama

“We have been advocating to get LeadsOnline for some time now. This week I was investigating a burglary and used LeadsOnline to search the suspect. I was able to recover the property within seven days of the burglary. Administration was happy to see we recovered property, but mostly it showed that we had the tools needed to recover the property. I was impressed that we obtained a hit and recovery so quickly after subscribing.”

Sgt. Jennifer Mican
El Campo Police Department
Texas

“Gautier Police Department solved a house burglary 30 minutes after receiving the police report thanks to LeadsOnline. Both stolen televisions have been located and a suspect has been charged with burglary. Furthermore, he is a fugitive from the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Thanks to LeadsOnline, we have located him to bring him to justice.”

Sgt. Matt Hoggatt
Gautier Police Department
Mississippi

“One of our deputies took a phone call from a female who was wishing to report two wedding bands missing from her residence. She had seen the bands three days prior. The victim provided authorities with a list of individuals who had been in her home over the previous three day period. The officer searched each individual’s name through LeadsOnline and within minutes he knew where the rings had been sold and who had stolen them. Within a few hours, the deputy had recovered the stolen rings and made an arrest for grand larceny. The use of LeadsOnline led us directly to the crook. LeadsOnline is an incredible investigative tool.”

Records Camellia Vail
Augusta County Sheriff’s Office
Virginia

“Within moments of receiving a burglary report, I knew that I had seen most of the stolen power tools when searching LeadsOnline. From start to finish, it took me three hours to take the report, question the suspect, and take his confession.”

Sgt. Scott Moye
Giles County Sheriff’s Office
Virginia

“I took a report months ago on a breaking and entering case. The suspects took two chainsaws, and the victim called the store he purchased them from to obtain the model and serial numbers. I just registered with LeadsOnline the day before I got this report. When I returned back to the office I signed on to LeadsOnline, entered the serial numbers, and found one of the saws. After going to the shop, I got video footage and a copy of the suspect’s driver’s license. I also seized the saw before anyone was able to purchase it. Even though they have not yet been arrested, I found out who my suspect was through this awesome website. I got a call the next day from the shop, and they advised us there was a male in there who was trying to sell the other saw. When I arrived I found out the suspect sold him the saw in the parking lot after the shop refused to buy it. I seized it and returned both stolen saws to the owner. Thank you LeadsOnline. I will for sure be using your help from now on. I just wish I had been on board a long time ago.”

Sr. Dep. Heath Jones
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
North Carolina

“While investigating a forgery and a theft case involving several dozen items, I began searching LeadsOnline for the stolen items. I was able to locate 61 stolen items from my case and get the items recovered. Sometimes we get lucky in a case, and this was one of those times. If it weren’t for the LeadsOnline service, I may have not recovered the stolen items so easily or quickly.”

Sgt. Clint Bass
Hollywood Park Police Department
Texas

“A burglary was solved with a hit from LeadsOnline. The suspect and his wife were charged with burglary second and grand larceny.”

Sr. Inv. Brian Wilkins
Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office
South Carolina

“Within 15 minutes of using LeadsOnline for the first time, I was able to get a hit on a 2-month-old case regarding a burglary. Previously, we had no leads on a suspect, a name that was well known to this investigator.”

Sgt. Dave Beuter
Linn County Sheriff
Iowa

“Another great recovery this week for the Wake County Sheriff’s Office in Raleigh, North Carolina. I received a felony Larceny & Fraud case last week, and within minutes of checking LeadsOnline, I had a suspect. Within four hours, I had the victim’s property back and warrants secured on the suspect. The suspect was later taken into custody that evening without incident and charged with four felony counts. I really love this tool that has been provided to our agency. In my 18 years of service, I don’t think this kind of outcome would have presented itself 10 years ago. I’m very appreciative. Thank you LeadsOnline for your assistance in this case, and many more to come!”

Sr. Inv. Christopher Creech
Wake County Sheriff Office
North Carolina

“I have only used LeadsOnline for a short time now. I recently used LeadsOnline in a retail theft where I was able to confirm the identity of a suspect. I found the time stamp provided by the transaction and used Google Maps to estimate the travel time from the time the item was stolen to the time they sold it. It is hard to argue they didn’t do it when the picture of the offender’s driver’s license was posted on the ticket. Even in a small department like mine, LeadsOnline makes my job much easier. Thanks guys!”

Sgt. David Stanley
Mayodan Police Department
North Carolina

“I recovered over $3000.00 of sound equipment that was stolen from two area churches. I had no serial numbers, just a description. I found the items in about 15 minutes of searching. This is just the latest success with LeadsOnline, as there have been numerous other cases I have been able to solve with their help. Thanks.”

Sgt. Keith Crofford
Bibb County Sheriff’s Department
Alabama

“I was using LeadsOnline hoping to locate a stolen gun. I did not find the gun, but upon entering the suspect’s name, I did find the stolen stereo equipment from the truck he was operating. What a nice surprise. I know he has the gun, and I know LeadsOnline will help me find it when he sells it. Thanks LeadsOnline.”

Sgt. Ardyth Orr
Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office
Iowa

“I have used LeadsOnline in two different agencies where I was assigned as a Detective Sgt. I would estimate that LeadsOnline has been responsible for assisting in clearing 50 cases, which I have investigated over a four-year period. It is worth its weight in gold, and it I can’t see doing my job without it. Prior to LeadsOnline, it was the old shoe leather drill of actually physically visiting the businesses and gold salvage stores or going through endless tickets which took days, sometimes weeks. This database is awe-inspiring and any department, big or small, needs to secure this valuable resource immediately.”

Sgt. David Wood
Clyde Police Department
Texas

“Recently, one of our county commissioners was the victim of a residential break-in. When I arrived at the scene, I had no evidence, no witnesses, and basically no hope. However, the suspect took guns, jewelry, and money and I spent the next 4 days searching LeadsOnline. On day four, I hit pay dirt! The suspect had sold the items to a business in the next county and I recovered all of the victim’s belongings. Had it not been for LeadsOnline, I may have never solved this case or made an arrest! I absolutely love this LeadsOnline!”

Sgt. Melissa Johnson
Taylorsville Police Department
North Carolina

“We began an investigation into an individual selling stolen property. Through the use of LeadsOnline, we were able to link him to numerous storage unit burglaries in the surrounding counties, as well as, the City of Crestview. We have been able to arrest the suspect on numerous felonies.”

Sgt. Donald Howe
Crestview Police Department
Florida

“Thanks to LeadsOnline, we were able to confirm a suspect’s involvement in a burglary when he sold an item yesterday that he stole a couple of months ago. With the old method it would be close to a year before the connection would have been made because of the delay in data entry. LeadsOnline allows for instant and timely access to pertinent information that helps solve the crimes and identifies our criminals.”

Sgt. Eric Gossman
Warner Robins Police Department
Georgia

“I use LeadsOnline as one of my tools in conducting follow-up burglary investigations. While investigating a burglary, I located a piece of property at a business in West Memphis, Arkansas, which a local victim reported stolen from my jurisdiction, in St. Louis, Missouri. Armed with the transaction information, I was able to quickly contact the business and place a hold on the item. I then called the West Memphis Police Department and advised them of the situation. I was able to give a representative of the West Memphis Police Department a suspect’s name and pedigree for the crime of receiving stolen property (our local charge for such an offense) within their jurisdiction. I also advised that the subject has multiple transaction records in Arkansas and Tennessee. I called the victim, advised him of my findings, and gave him contact information for the West Memphis Police Department. Since the item is located out of my jurisdiction, the West Memphis Police Department will conduct further follow-up with the help of the burglary victim. It was all thanks to LeadsOnline that I was able to help the victim locate his missing property, and lead another Police Department toward a suspect that has slipped out of my reach. With LeadsOnline, there is nowhere to hide.”

Ofc. Ervin Lockhart
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Missouri

“Our city and county had been experiencing a rash of daytime residential burglaries. One of the victims interrupted the pair of bad guys while they were breaking into his home. Based on his description, we were able to develop a suspect that the victim positively identified. A week after the incident, I found one of my bad guys pawning jewelry in Jefferson Parrish, Louisiana. Taking the description of the items provided by LeadsOnline, I was able to locate an entirely different incident with a similar piece of jewelry listed as stolen. I then contacted the Jefferson Parrish Sheriff’s Office, who was able to locate, hold and photograph the items. Twenty minutes after getting those photos, my victim, and one of her co-workers, positively identified two of the three items sold in Louisiana. Thanks to LeadsOnline and the Jefferson Parrish Sheriff’s Office, I’m able to get a good charge on a bad guy, and most importantly, get property back where it belongs.”

Ptlm. Joseph Lyon
Fort Wayne Police Department
Indiana

“I recently made an arrest with 21 warrants and pending potentially 22 more charges as a result of stolen property located on LeadsOnline. I was able to recover some of the items and to confirm the identity of the suspect thanks to this resource.”

Ofc. Lanis Geluso
Virginia Beach Police Department
Virginia

“During a recent delayed burglary investigation with no suspect information, I located a missing item using LeadsOnline. The business was contacted, and they agreed to hold the item. The LeadsOnline search provided me with a suspect name. The victim knew the suspect, and I would never have been able to locate the missing item (which had sentimental value) or identify a suspect without LeadsOnline. LeadsOnline is a great investigative tool and will be part of every investigation I conduct. Thanks.”

Police Service Aid Mark Nelson
St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office
Florida

“Through LeadsOnline, I was able to locate stolen items and recover most of them. I charged the suspect with grand larceny and obtaining money under false pretenses.”

Ofc. Lanis Geluso
Virginia Beach Police Department
Virginia

“Once again, LeadsOnline came through and assisted in locating another stolen piece of property! I was searching through my NCIC Hits and came across a potential match to a stolen iPod that was taken from a high school student over a year ago. The suspect, thinking he was in the clear, sold it to an unmanned kiosk located at a mall within close proximity to our city. With the help of LeadsOnline, I recovered the iPod and return it to the rightful owner. The owner was overwhelmed with delight. Thanks LeadsOnline!”

Public Safety Ofc. Stacy Orchulli
El Cajon Police Department
California

“While trying to clear up some old theft cases, I checked numerous serial numbers through LeadsOnline. In doing so, I located a laptop that was stolen from a vehicle almost a year ago. Not only was I able to locate it, I was able to get it back to the owner and have applied for warrants against the subject who sold it.”

Ofc. Sean Rosner
Wentzville Police Department
Missouri

“I had a suspect steal his mother’s weddings rings along with other pieces of her jewelry. I checked LeadsOnline and sure enough, he had sold them at a local business. I went to the business and retrieved the items back, which were given back to his mother. He was charged with theft and receiving stolen property. Thank you, LeadsOnline!”

Ofc. Tiffany Davidson
West Carrollton Police Department
Ohio

“Using LeadsOnline, I located a $1,875 stolen bicycle at a business. The investigation was conducted, and a suspect was identified. The suspect denied stealing the bicycle, and the District Attorney declined prosecution due to lack of evidence. The bicycle will be returned to the rightful owner.”

Ofc. Brent Dawson
San Francisco Police Department
California

“I recently investigated a burglary of a residence. I used Leads to run the suspect name and I found all the stolen items in multiple pawn shops. As a result I was able to solve a second burglary with the same suspect as a result of Leads.”

Ofc. Ronald Perkins
Williamstown Police Department
Kentucky

“I located an NCIC hit for a Canon digital camera valued at over $1,000. The victim is a resident from Texas who was visiting San Francisco. His rental vehicle was broken into and numerous items of camera equipment were stolen. The victim completed an online police report and provided serial numbers for some of the stolen equipment. Once the match was found, a hold was placed on the stolen camera. The business was located in Lakeland, Florida! Following confirmation of ownership, the business agreed to release the property to the victim. Unfortunately, we were never able to contact the person who sold the stolen property or establish any other suspect information.”

Ofc. Brent Dawson
San Francisco Police Department
California

“My case involved a subject in relation to stolen property from vehicles. After running her name, we found she appeared to be committing the thefts in Fairbanks and going to Anchorage to sell the property. Through my cases and others with the Alaska State Troopers we were able to track her down and get her arrested on nearly $30,000 in arrest warrants relating to these thefts. She is currently incarcerated and expected to be there for quite some time. I would have taken an incredible amount of leg work to locate the different locations of the transactions which I suspect I would have missed since they were not routine to us.”

Ofc. Doug Welborn
Fairbanks Police Department
Alaska

“I located a possible NCIC hit for a stolen Apple iPhone. The phone was sold at a Burbank, California ecoATM machine that flagged the serial number. The victim completed an online police report stating she was the victim of a pick-pocket while hanging out at a night club. EcoATM staff where advised, and the iPhone was recovered without incident. Once confirmation of ownership was made, the iPhone was returned to the victim.”

Ofc. Brent Dawson
San Francisco Police Department
California

“My case involved a special needs individual who had electronics stolen from his home. After checking LeadsOnline I found both items had been sold at a local store in Fairbanks. The shop owner was understanding and released the items to me so the owner could recover them. Through LeadsOnline I was able to print not only a copy of the transactions but the signature of the suspect. I was able to confirm the signature matched that of the suspect through our local DMV and a theft case is currently at our District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.”

Ofc. Doug Welborn
Fairbanks Police Department
Alaska

“A California businessman was visiting a store in San Francisco when he negligently left his iPad on a display case. The iPad was stolen, and the victim filed a police report, providing the serial number of the item. During a search of LeadsOnline, I got an NCIC hit from a transaction out of Las Vegas. It was no coincidence that the person who sold the stolen iPad was originally a San Francisco resident with a checkered criminal past. With the assistance of a Detective from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the iPad was recovered. Nearly 18 months later, the victim was indeed surprised and happy to have his property returned. In the big scheme of things, this is a very minor success; however, it’s nice to have a small win once in a while.”

Ofc. Brent Dawson
San Francisco Police Department
California

“Three suspects were identified as committing home invasions in the city of Rochester Hills. Through LeadsOnline, property was recovered that is believed to be stolen from multiple jurisdictions.”

Patrol Inv. Keith Weir
Rochester Hills Police Department
Michigan

“I stumbled across a subject with extensive transactions in multiple jurisdictions while searching for items stolen in a vehicle prowl. I followed this person as a POI, and he later sold a rototiller hours after stealing it from the front yard of a complainant in my county. He sold it at a shop in my jurisdiction, and was referred for charges.”

Ofc. Austin Mccombs
Sedro-Woolley Police Department
Washington

“While investigating a burglary complaint, names of the suspects and the items taken were given. Doing a LeadsOnline search revealed the suspect and the items at our local pawn shop. There were even a couple items the victim didn’t yet know were stolen. Contact was made with the pawn shop to gather the items. It was very valuable using the automated confiscation order through LeadsOnline so that the business had an official and informative paper trail for both our records. Upon arriving, my suspects were there pawning something unrelated. Dumb cop luck! Got the items, videos, confessions, and guilty pleas. Thanks to LeadsOnline, I was saved time and effort in several different areas. Thanks again.”

Ptlm. Mark Burgoon
Celina Police Department
Ohio

“Using LeadsOnline, I was able to find, identify, and prosecute a shoplifter who stole an iPhone 6 from a local mobile phone repair shop. The individual used an ecoATM and using the photos provided by LeadsOnline I was able to make the positive identification.”

Ofc. Logan Kistler
Spartanburg Police Department
South Carolina

“An ex-employee was seen on the property snooping around after business hours. After running a name search of the employee, I found that they had pawned a weed eater. The victim did not even know they were missing said weed eater. After confirming that they had one missing, I was able to link the suspect with the larceny of the weed eater and the obtaining property by false pretense.”

Ptlm. Darren Yang
Conover Police Department
North Carolina

“I recently solved a case by searching LeadsOnline that included more than 30 to 40 victims from two jurisdiction. I located an iPod that was pawned at a local pawn shop just one day after the theft. During the summer, several jurisdictions were getting hit with larceny from vehicles that had occurred overnight. By finding this one iPod, it led myself and several detectives to a house that contained over 50 stolen items. As I was searching LeadsOnline for stolen property related to a burglary I was investigating, I came across two class rings that were pawned. These two class rings were very unique, and they actually had a named inscribed on the inside of the ring. By working with our crime analyst, we were able to determine that the rings were stolen from a neighboring jurisdiction. The rings were part of a burglary series that has led to one person being charged. LeadsOnline is a great asset to my department, and I will continue to use it on a daily basis.”

Ofc. Justin Hubbard
Roanoke County Police
Virginia

“With LeadsOnline.com, I was able to find my suspect, make two arrests and wrap up a felony theft case in less than 24 hours. It only took 5 minutes to locate all of the businesses where the suspect had been pawning stolen items.”

Ofc. Kevin Smith
Merkel Police Department
Texas

“I solved a case that included over 30-40 victims in two jurisdictions. I searched LeadsOnline and located an iPod that was sold at a local business just one day after the theft. During the summer, several jurisdictions were getting hit with larceny from vehicles that occurred overnight. By finding this one iPod, it led myself and several detectives to a house that contained over 50 stolen items. As I was searching LeadsOnline for stolen property related to a burglary I was investigating, I came across two class rings that were sold. These two class rings were very unique, and they actually had a name engraved on the inside of the ring. By working with our crime analyst, we were able to determine that the rings were stolen from a neighboring jurisdiction. The rings were part of a burglary series that has led to one person being charged. LeadsOnline is a great asset to my department, and I will continue to use it on a daily basis.”

Ofc. Justin Hubbard
Roanoke County Police Department
Virginia