Man out thousands after his stolen equipment ends up at pawn shop

Cash America Pawn manager says equipment is under 'police hold'

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local auto mechanic expressed his frustration Wednesday after he said his stolen equipment wound up at a pawn shop and he can't get it back. 

Wesley Thomas said he spent thousands of dollars on a device that was stolen earlier this year. But he said he can't get it back and police have not been very helpful. 

"We're talking about an analyzer, a very expensive analyzer. A $5,800 piece of equipment that is at my shop in order to diagnose peoples' cars in this community," Thomas said. 

He reported the theft to police. But one day, Thomas said a customer came in and told him where to find his analyzer.

"The police have no effort in finding it. And I had a customer pull in my driveway about six weeks ago and said, 'Mr. Wes, you need to go down to Cash America Pawn because that piece of equipment you use is down at Cash America Pawn. And if it's not yours, you might want to buy it,'" Thomas said. 

Even though the device belongs to him, Thomas said, the Cash America Pawn on Lem Turner Road can't release it to him now that has been reported stolen and is under what's called a "police hold."

News4Jax obtained the police report, which said "the warrant was denied" to arrest the suspect because there wasn't evidence. 

Police told Thomas that his options are:

  • Try to reach a settlement with the pawn shop
  • If that doesn't work, petition the court to return the property
  • But before he can go to court, he must formally notify the pawnbroker of his claim by mail and include a police report and the description of the item

"I want to go get it. And I can't touch it because the state attorney, the law, the owner of Cash America Pawn. I don't know how they take a loss at it. I know they have, because it's mine," Thomas said.

News4Jax spoke with a manager at Cash America Pawn Wednesday, who said they're aware of the case but their hands are tied because the item is under a "police hold." The manager said they can't do anything with it until they get guidance from law enforcement. 


About the Author:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.