STOCKTON, Calif. — A Stockton burglary investigation led investigators to finding a ‘significant’ number of stolen items at a Bay Area pawn shop and now they're looking to reunite victims with their belongings.
According to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began April 1 after a car break-in in the Lincoln Center parking lot.
Investigators say the suspect, DeShawn Allen, was a known gang member from Richmond. He was taken into custody, and his home and cell phone were searched.
The sheriff’s office says it found Allen was communicating with the owner of Oromax Pawn Shop in Richmond and the correspondence included several photos of stolen items Allen was allegedly trying to sell to store owner Urias Joram Hernandez Ochoa.
A search warrant was executed at the pawn shop and investigators found many cell phones, laptops, cameras and more.
The owner was arrested and released on his own recognizance on suspicion of conspiracy and receiving stolen property.
Allen is accused of 2nd degree burglary, grand theft, possession of burglary tools, vandalism, receiving stolen property and conspiracy.
The sheriff’s office says it’s now searching for the burglary victims so the items can go back to their owners, and that many of the more than 140 victims were people visiting the Bay Area from places as far as Brooklyn and other East Coast locations.
“To date, of every single person we have contacted, not one person has claimed ever to have sold or pawned anything at the Oromax pawn shop, confirming all were victims of theft,” wrote the sheriff’s office.
Some of the items don’t have serial numbers or their identifying information was wiped, so investigators posted photos of the items to Dropbox in hopes of reuniting them with their owners.
If you review the photos and see an item that belongs to you, contact AGNET at 209-468-4424.
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