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Police: Men Pawned Nearly $25,000 In Stolen Property
30-Day Free-Trial Offer From Online Company Helps Police Find Suspects
By Lamaur Stancil
January 7, 2011
FORT PIERCE, Fla. – Police have arrested two men accused of selling nearly $25,000 worth of stolen property to a Fort Pierce pawn shop.
Fort Pierce police said Roger Wesley and Michael Anderson were arrested, in part, thanks to a 30-day free-trial offer from an online company.
Sgt. Dennis McWilliams said he agreed to the free trial from a website called LeadsOnline, which can track pawn shop sales throughout the country. McWilliams said he tried a search for anyone who had pawned more than 10 items, and Wesley's name was the first to appear.
Police said they discovered Wesley had pawned 67 brand new items at Value Pawn and Jewelry in 10 days, starting the day he was released from jail Dec. 23.
"Not only are they high-demand items, these are items that people wanted for Christmas," McWilliams said.
Among the stolen items were computers, laptops, televisions, cameras and Xbox game systems.
Detectives then contacted area retail stores, and Walmart security video revealed Wesley, a woman and two children filling a cart with electronics and walking out of the store.
"He said that he just kind of walked right out of the store, and I think that's extremely brazen," McWilliams said.
Detectives said Wesley was working with Anderson to steal items throughout the Treasure Coast and pawn them at Value Pawn and Jewelry.