I made a car stop a while back for having no brake lights. As I spoke with the driver, I noticed she was being just a bit too forthcoming and courteous. Something told me all was not as it should be. I started looking for a way into the car.
As I would ask the driver questions, her passenger kept answering (I hate it when they do that). The vehicle was a mini-van with Nevada plates, but the woman handed me a California driver's license. When I asked for the registration and insurance documents for the vehicle, the driver removed a rental agreement from her purse and handed it to me. The name on the rental agreement and the name on the license were different. I asked the driver who rented the car, and she replied that her friend had rented it. She told me the name on the rental agreement, but she didn't know the telephone number.
I returned to my patrol car and ran the driver out. Dispatch said she had a warrant for some sort of forgery. Upon the arrival of a cover unit, I asked the driver out of the car. I handcuffed her and sat her in the back of my patrol car.
Now, in California, when someone is arrested from a vehicle, I can search the interior of the vehicle and everything in it. I asked the passengers out of the van. As I searched the interior of the van, I located a hell of a lot of brand new clothing and electronic equipment. I later determined a total value in excess of $3000. I also located several receipts for the items in the van, which indicated the purchases were made by personal check. BIG, BRIGHT RED FLAG!
I noticed some of the receipts indicated returns at stores other than where the items were purchased. The returns were all for cash. That flag just got bigger and redder.
So I put two and two together. By now, I'm thinking I've stumbled upon a huge forgery and theft case. I was right too. The problem? It all happened in Nevada. I don't have jurisdiction in Nevada. So what do I have? A warrant, and a big found property case. I wrote a found property case with all I figured out, and forwarded it to the local PD in Nevada.
Here ya go fellas. I wrote the report for you, now you get to file it and take credit.
DAMMIT!
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1 comment:
Still, that's a great case. I love the ones that start simple and turn out big with just a little digging. Surprises can be nice. My favorites, like yours, are the surprise felonies. Surprise! I caught a felon!
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