My home was burglarized two times in a period of two weeks in the winter of 2005. To gain entry, the culprits smashed a glass pane of a very expensive patio door the first time, and kicked in the front door the second time. Both break-ins occurred in broad day light.
The burglars were caught in a nearby County during a State Police stakeout. It was discovered that the two individuals, a man and woman, had burglarized upwards to 300 homes in several counties.
They stole roughly 18 plastic bags nearly full of coins of all denominations and age (I had saved this money all of my life), several bank deposit type bags full of money, paper money from all around the world, military money from when I was in the service, a couple very valuable old and rare coin collections and a couple very old pocket watches that passed on to me when my father passed away (one coin collection and the watches were from his father), and a similar rare and old coin collection that passed on to me when my sister lost her long, hard battle with cancer.
They took all but two bags of coins. Each bag probably weighed around 30 to 40 pounds. (I know I should have had this valuable money and things in a safety box, in some bank, but I just didn't think something like this would ever happen.)
They also stole a laptop computer that contained all of my business and personal records, and a digital camera that had pictures in it of my sister just before she died. It is hard to calculate the monetary value of all the money and coin collections, but my gut guess of the “face value” would be at least 20,000 dollars. The “true value,” may be as high as a hundred thousand dollars.
A neighbor of mine witnessed the woman struggling while dragging a couple bags of money out of the house. When this woman saw the neighbor, she and her companion jumped into their car and sped away.
They returned again a week later (and in broad daylight), kicked in my front door - probably to get the two bags of money they had left behind the first time, but because I had hidden them so well, they were not able to find them
Both times, they left my doors smashed and wide open to the elements. This occurred in the middle of winter when the weather was very bad and cold. I was working a late shift both times abnd I didn't get home until close to midnight. Consequently, due to the exposure to cold temperatures some of my plants died, and my furnace burned out of control for hours.
When the Township Police learned that the State Police had caught the burglars, they obtained pictures of the confiscated loot, which they showed me to see if I could identify any of the stuff. I was able to identify much of the money as possibly mine. There was a picture of a small plastic bank that had my name on it, which I pointed out to the police. I also identified a digital camera and a silver watch as mine. The police were elated because this would help in the prosecution of the burglars.
When the burglars were tried in court, I gave a victim's rights speech. I explained to the judge and the court how valuable (monetarily and sentimentally) the money and coin collections were, and how important the records in the computer and the pictures in the camera were, which could not be duplicated.
Both burglars received prison sentences. The girl was pregnant and served only one year of a long sentence. The guy is still in prison and will be there for many years.
I waited and waited for the police to contact me and return the items that I had identified, but it never happened. I finally decided to follow up on it and found that the State Police did not even know I existed or that any of the confiscated property was mine. Consequently, they sent all of it out to auction. They said the Township Police had not notified them that I was a victim. This is so wrong! If the Township Police had done their job, I could have gotten back some of my money and other items that I identified. The State Police detectives affirmed the same.
The Township Police Chief was having sexual relations (and filming the acts) in his office with a fellow Township official during this time. There was a lot of corruption going on in that department. Things were not getting done. He was eventually busted and has since been replaced.
I want to sue them for derelict of duty and denying me my right to recover the items that I had identified. I am a tax payer; they were supposed to serve me, instead, they let me down. I am very emotionally hurt and upset at losing so much old and rare money, and losing my father's and sister's old and rare coin collections. It hurts me deeply losing the pictures of my sister in her final days. These items can never be replaced and I am very hurt that the police did not do the job that we, the taxpayers, pay them to do.
There is no appropriate or valid reason why the Township Police failed to notify the State Police that I was a victim, and that I had identified many confiscated items. If they had been doing their job instead of having sexual fun on the job, I would have recovered much of my belongings. I will never get over losing such valuable belongings and the police failing me. I want to , and plan to punish them, by suing them for punitive damages.
