[Grovenet] Fwd: Washington County Sheriff web site features Stolen Property.
Meredith Bliss
mbliss at agora.rdrop.com
Sun Feb 8 19:18:10 PST 2009
Well, I can't seem to get a pdf document through, so here's the text ...
Detectives Recover over 5,500 Items and Create Web Site for Victims
Summary of Event:
Washington County Sheriff’s Detectives recovered over 5,500 pieces of
property, including jewelry,
gems, knives, some coins, and other items after serving a search warrant at a
SE Portland home. Citizens
may view property and file claims online at www.helpIDproperty.com.
Details of Event:
On Wednesday, January 14, 2009, Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office Property
Crimes Unit, assisted by investigators from the Portland Police Bureau, served
a search warrant at 3150 SE 158th Avenue in Portland. The residence belongs to
60-year-old Karen Moller who was selling items on eBay that caught the
attention of investigators.
Detectives learned that Ms. Moller was selling items on eBay that were taken
from burglaries in
Washington County. They obtained a search warrant and were surprised to find
such an expansive
assortment of jewelry and other items in Ms. Moller’s home. Ms. Moller told
investigators that she has
been buying used jewelry for years and that she makes a living by reselling
it. Investigators say that she
is operating as an unlicensed secondhand dealer, much like a pawnshop. The
case information will be
shared with Portland Police who will investigate crimes that may have occurred
in Multnomah County.
Detectives arrested one individual in connection with this case. Christopher
R. Mabrey, 44 years old,
was arrested and charged with two burglaries in Washington County. The
burglaries occurred in the
unincorporated communities of Aloha and Rock Creek. Mr. Mabrey sold some of
the stolen items to Ms.
Moller who in turn posted them on eBay. Mr. Mabrey has been charged with two
counts of Burglary I,
Aggravated Theft I, Theft I, and Theft II.
Ten investigators from the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Unit worked for
two full days to sort and
catalog more than 5,500 items of evidence that were seized as a result of the
search warrant. Their next
challenge is to identify the rightful owners of each item. To give the
greatest exposure to the public, a
web site has been created for citizens to view the evidence from this case and
to file claims using e-mail
links provided. Citizens are encouraged to visit www.helpIDproperty.com. The
site is easy to use and
will send an email inquiry to the detective investigating the case.
Please keep in mind that if you find something that you think is yours, we
need proof of ownership
before we can release the item or items. Proof of ownership can be a police
report filed at the time of the
theft that has a detailed description of the property, a photograph of the
item, or a bill of sale with a
detailed description. We can not release property without proof of ownership.
In light of this case, detectives would like to take the opportunity to advise
people to document their
belongings. Photographs are an excellent way to prove ownership in a case
where it may be in question.
You can also place your sales receipt next to your item in the photograph.
This will eliminate any
question of your claim on a recovered item in the event you become a victim of
a theft.
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Just happy to be here, but speaking
only for myself!
Meredith Bliss --- www.rdrop.com/~mbliss
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