An iPhone stolen from an ACU student was recovered at a local pawnshop on Sept. 12. ACU police investigated the theft and the case will be referred to the district attorney.
ACU Police Chief Jimmy Ellison said the stolen phone was recovered at a local Wild Bill’s Pawn after ACUPD received an alert from a national database informing them that the item was being pawned.
“Anytime we complete an offense report and initiate an investigation, if we know the serial number to the item, we can track that item through a national database of stolen property,” Ellison said.
When the iPhone was sold to the pawnshop, the serial number was entered into the database and ACUPD was informed of its location.
Ellison said a suspect was identified, located and questioned. The suspect claimed a friend gave him the iPhone and he decided to pawn it for the extra money. When asked who had given him the phone, the suspect said he could not remember the name of the friend.
“As far as the status on that case, we are going to refer that case to the district attorney and seek theft charges against that suspect,” Ellison said.
Ellison said he does not want pawnshops to be given a negative reputation because of cases like this one.
“Pawnshops are a legitimate business and many people pawn legitimate items there,” he said.
Galen Hester, assistant manager at Wild Bill’s Pawn on Ambler Avenue, said the shop receives “countless” iPhones every year. He estimates that around 10 percent of those are pawned by college students. The store is very careful about checking the items they receive.
“As far as phones go we actually look at the contact to make sure the content matches the person bringing it in,” Hester said.
Ellison said that the police department has received 12 reports of lost or stolen iPhones since the semester began. Last year, the department received 30 reports of lost or stolen iPhones.
Ellison encourages everyone to know the model and serial numbers to all of their expensive devices in case of theft.
“We always say that the individual citizen is the first line of defense, not the police department,” he said. “You’ve got to be smart. Don’t ever leave your expensive items – iPhones, iPads, laptops, purses – laying around.”
