Detective Work...

Thursday turned out to be a plain old bad day! While teaching, Joe called to say that he had been notified by our credit card company of possible fraudulent activity. I checked my purse in my classroom and discovered that my wallet had been stolen. I was devastated, angry, and sad all at once! Another teacher temporarily covered my classroom and Joe and I immediately went to work making phone calls to get cards canceled, and making lists of everything that was in my wallet. Throughout the day I was able to get everything canceled, call the police to make a report, and get to the bank with my passport id to get some cash.
I was extremely determined to figure out who this was and find them. I'm not sure why I was so intense about it, but I just felt so incredibly violated, that I wasn't going to let them get away with it. I started making phone calls and figuring out what to do. I started with the information from my credit card companies, and contacted the stores where the purchases were made. I met a deputy at the stores and we looked over surveillance video and got pictures of the suspects. At this point, the deputy I met with had little interest in pursuing the case, so he just let me take the photos and video home with me. It made me sick to my stomach to watch the videos, and see them smiling while they were shopping with my stolen cards. I got so caught up in the detective work, it was my mission to get them caught! I went to work spreading the info to as many people as I could and asking for help wherever I could get it. Through phone calls and an email, I was contacted by a lieutenant, who decided to have another deputy meet me for a more official report. Deputy Askins ended up sitting with me for almost an hour over going over every detail of what happened, what I had obtained, and what he could do to help. I did tell him that I knew this was a low priority case, but he was determined to do everything he could to follow up all leads. That ball rolled quickly from there and with lots of fantastic investigative work and questions, he had names, addresses, and search warrants on the suspects. I couldn't believe how quickly and efficiently he was working. Saturday night just after 9pm he called to tell me that the suspects had been arrested and were in custody. Evidence had been confiscated and they were being charged with multiple felonies. I felt an immediate sense of relief and satisfaction. My stomach had been in knots for almost 3 days, and it felt good to know they were caught. They have been linked to several other school thefts and fraudulent credit card use, and I am happy they won't be able to do it again.
Although I wish the circumstances had been different, I learned that I enjoy a little detective work. I also know that I can't stand people that have no regard for others. Maybe I should have gone to the police academy! For now, I am focused on getting everything in my wallet replaced, new ids and cards, and following the case as it progresses from here.