If you recently had something stolen from you, it could be at the San Diego Sheriff’s Department (SDSO) crime lab in Kearny Mesa.
The department is holding two public viewings for people to come and see the items they have recovered and claim them if they are the rightful owner. The first viewing was held on Friday, Feb. 3 and the second one is Saturday, Feb. 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 5590 Overland Ave.
According to Paul Oules, an SDSO detective who helped find the stolen property, nearly 1,000 items worth roughly $250,000 were discovered at one storage facility in Santee.
“There was a burglary in Encinitas where it all stemmed from,” said Oules. From there, he and several other detectives from the department were led to Santee. They found five storage units within the same facility. All of them were stacked floor to ceiling with stolen items.
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Photos: Come Get Your Stolen Property: San Diego Sheriff's Department Trying to Reunite Owners With Their Items
The SDSO recovered generators, speakers, computers, guitars, power tools, many boxes of Star Wars Lego sets, a couple of guitars, and one horse saddle– and that is only the beginning of the list.
“You name it, it could be here,” said Oules.
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All of the items are tagged with an “EVIDENCE” label and are laid out at the department’s property and evidence building. Anyone can come to see if their recently stolen things are there.
Nader Namvar has been the victim of theft in the Clairemont area four times in the past year. He came to the public viewing on Friday after his brother told him about it. He works in construction and had tools stolen from his van multiple times and his storage unit once.
“I keep buying them, they keep stealing them,” said Namvar.
At first, he was skeptical about finding any of his tools but decided to give it a shot. Turns out, he was glad he did.
“I found a couple of my drills, my saws,” said Namvar. “It’s fortunate that they found them.”
Namvar had photos and serial numbers of each of the items, so he was able to prove ownership and take the tools home that day. The department asks that anyone who comes is prepared to do the same. Receipts, any details about the item, law enforcement report numbers and more could all help to tie you to an item.
“It’s actually very rewarding just to see the happiness of actually getting their property back, it’s just great,” said Oules.
If the items are not claimed by the end of the public viewing on Feb. 4 at 1 p.m., they will go to auction at a later date.
Oules added there is a person of interest in the investigation into who stole all of these items, but he could not share details with NBC 7 since it is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the San Diego Sheriff’s Department.
