From treasure maps to dog ransoms, watch 3 riveting recoveries of stolen items
On this latest episode of "Crimes, Cons and Capers," theft victims go to great lengths to recover their precious property.
On this latest episode of "Crimes, Cons and Capers," theft victims go to great lengths to recover their precious property.
On this latest episode of "Crimes, Cons and Capers," theft victims go to great lengths to recover their precious property.
Stream full episodes of “Crimes, Cons and Capers” now by downloading the Very Local app for free.
Whether they're lurking in the shadows, or hiding in plain sight, thieves are all around us. Once something's stolen, it's hard to get it back.
But in this episode of "Crimes, Cons and Capers," the theft victims go to great lengths to get their stolen items back.
"Keep your stuff hidden and unavailable. If it’s valuable to you. It may be more valuable to the perpetrator who’s going to take it from you,” said David Sarni, John Jay College of Criminal Justice adjunct assistant professor and former NYPD detective.
Check out these three captivating stories of theft recoveries with expert commentary from Sarni and criminal defense attorney and University of Pittsburgh Professor of Practice Chalon Young.
X Marks the Spot
After a Florida man is convicted of stealing several guitars from a music teacher's home, he sends her a hand-drawn map with instructions on where she could find her beloved guitar signed by late country singer Glen Campbell.
"Sometimes a lot of these perpetrators do feel empathy for what they did," Sarni said. "In this case, this treasure map, which was pretty impressive, he decided to draw for the victim and get her property back."
Pooch Pirates
After a Georgia woman's Maltipoo escapes her backyard, unknown suspects snatch up the pooch. Anxious to get her dog back, she puts up wanted signs around town. When a person responds to her posting, they aren't willing to give her dog back right away. They request money, and the woman ends up meeting them at a parking lot to exchange her dog for the cash.
“She’s what they call a designer dog. They don’t shed, they’re great with families. They’re great pets,” Young said. "They’re pricey. If someone wanted to resell a designer dog, they could do so with quite a profit.”
Diamond Dash
An Oklahoma woman hires an exterminator to spray her home for bugs but ends up with a different kind of pest. The exterminator stole her $8,500 wedding ring and tried to pawn it for a measly $195. By the time police track down the culprit, the ring has already been sold. But the pawn shop tracks down the buyer, and the ring is safely returned back to the victim.
“If you’re letting people into your house to do work, always secure your property, secure your jewelry, don’t leave it around," Sarni said. "Because even though the best of intentions are you have faith and trust in these individuals, you really don’t know where their mindset is."
To check out more of these gripping incidents and more, watch the latest episode of the Very Local original series, "Crimes, Cons and Capers," "Riveting Recoveries of Stolen Items," by downloading the Very Local app for free.
"Crimes, Cons and Capers" is a fast-paced look at headline-grabbing crimes and far-fetched escapades across the country.
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