Stolen items found online
Sheriff's deputies, above, survey some of the stolen items Lamar J. Loomis, 35, Quincy, is suspected of having. A generator is featured on the Grant County Sheriff's Office Web site, below, to help the owner identify and recover the stolen property.
EPHRATA - A Web page is helping Grant County victims find their stolen property.
The Grant County Sheriff's Office created a Web page to display photos of stolen items in hopes of victims recognizing their belongings. The first set of pictures displays more than 50 items recovered during the recent arrest of a Quincy man.
Lamar J. Loomis, 35, was arrested for possession of stolen property in the first degree, according to the Grant County Sheriff's Office.
The Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team (INET) and deputies served search warrants at a home and storage buildings on Feb. 24 on Martin Road Northwest, about five miles northeast of Quincy.
Investigators allegedly found four stolen motorcycles and ATVs amongst numerous items, including irrigation pumps, generators and saws.
The sheriff's office posted photographs of the items thought to be stolen, and are receiving positive response from the public.
"There is a multitude of people calling. It's an over whelming response from the citizens," said Field Operations Chief Deputy Ken Jones. "We are fielding between 15 and 25 phone calls each day."
People are encouraged to visit the Web page and review the pictures. If a person sees an item belonging to them, they are asked to contact the sheriff's office by calling 509-754-2011 or 509-762-1160.
If possible, each person is asked to provide the date and time when filing a theft complaint and the serial number or other features to identify the item, according to the Web site.
The sheriff's office verifies ownership before releasing any item.
"We have had some success already with people looking at the pictures," Jones said. "The majority of the ATVs have been identified ... We have also established the ownership of the motorcycles."
The collection of photos can be found here.
"It's wise for everybody to look at these photos to see if they match descriptions of things that were stolen," said Jones. "(The pictures) can be enlarged on the Web site."
Sheriff Tom Jones created this program to improve communication with citizens and to help people recover their property.
"It's a new concept and so far very successful," said Jones.
When they can disclose stolen property, they will add more information to the Web page, he added.
The photo identification helps the sheriff's office return defaced or altered property, such as things with serial numbers removed.
"We recommend people take the opportunity to take photographs of their property and mark their property ... it helps get the items back to people," Jones said.
The sheriff asks anyone with information about crime to call the office at 509-754-2011 or 9-1-1 when it's an emergency.
Information can also be sent by e-mail to crimetips@co.grant.wa.us. Tipsters can choose to remain anonymous.