A tip from the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office led the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office to a storage facility and the recovery of at least $170,000 in stolen property.
Investigators went to the storage facility in the 1700 block of South George Washington Blvd. Tuesday after receiving the tip, and inside a unit, they found the property. The items include things like power tools, generators, trail cameras, and a golf cart.
10 people are in custody. The sheriff’s office says they are also investigating another storage shed elsewhere that may be holding more stolen property.
The crimes are believed to have happened in Wichita, Winfield, and Bel Aire. So far, deputies have been able to return about $70,000 of the property to its rightful owners.
They are still working to track down the owners of the rest of the property. Col. Greg Pollock says it can be incredibly difficult to reunite burglary victims with their property, often times because they haven’t written down serial numbers or kept receipts.
Col. Pollock recommends homeowners take photos of their property, including the serial numbers if applicable and storing them in a safe place. That way it will be easier for law enforcement to return it if it is recovered.
