Local pawnshops enforce buying-back of stolen goods

If Lincolnites' possessions are stolen and turn up at a pawnshop, they have to buy the item for a second time.

This has been the city's ordinance for years, and several pawnshops enforce policies requiring original owners to pay for their stolen goods.

The city ordinance pertaining to pawnshop policy states that after an item is sold to a pawnshop, the shop has to hold the item for two weeks, said Sgt. Dick Kohles, the supervisor of the Lincoln Police Department's intelligence unit.

"Citizens can't go to a pawnshop and look for stolen items," Kohles said.

Many University of Nebraska-Lincoln students are familiar with this law.

Max Holmquist, a freshman advertising major, said his bike was stolen outside of Andersen Hall about a month ago while he attended classes.

Holmquist filed a police report, and police officers found his bike at Mister Money, a pawnshop on 1621 M St.

Holmquist paid $50 to Mister Money to get his bike back. The man who allegedly stole the bike had been in Lincoln with relatives during the Nebraska State Fair and was no longer in town.

"I would have to take him to civil court," Holmquist said. "I can't afford the lawyer's fees."

Levi Littvay, a graduate student in political science, purchased a mandolin appraised at $1,200. It was stolen out of his apartment last winter and showed up at Mister Money's pawnshop, too.

Littvay spent another $300 to get his stolen instrument back. Police officers found the thief with a little more than half of the money, which was given back to Littvay.

Once a thief is caught, a judge can put the amount to be reimbursed on the person's sentence, said Sgt. Jeffery Hohlen of University Police. If the person is not caught, the victim is out of luck, Hohlen said.

To ensure the best outcome for a stolen item, never contact a pawnshop before police, said Chris Davy of the BB&R Pawn Shop on 1701 O St.

Pawnshop employees may just assume you saw the item in the pawnshop and decided to claim it was your own, he said.

"If you don't report it, it isn't stolen," he said.

Larry Moore, who works at Mister Money, said the first thing his store does in these types of situations is to refer people to the police. He said his store is not allowed to show the items to anyone without police present.If the item is reported stolen, the pawnshop is required to hold that item for up to four months for the victim to pick it up, he said.

"If a citizen wants to look at the held items, they must be accompanied by a police officer," Kohles said.

Because of the city ordinance, items cannot be pawned without valid photo identification, signature and fingerprints, Davy said.

Each night, the pawn slips, a form people have to fill out when they sell something, are required to be sent to the police department, Kohles said. They are then entered into the computer system, and the computer finds if the items have been reported stolen. The police department relays the findings to the pawnshop, he said.

Police also submit names of people who cannot pawn because of two or more prior convictions of theft, Kohles said.

"The biggest misconception that people have is that we have this big database that confirms stolen items prior to sale," Davy said. "There is just not a way to know."