BAKERSFIELD, CA - Reunions are taking place at the Bakersfield Police Department. Recovered stolen items are finding their way back to their rightful owners. And, there are a lot more waiting to be claimed.
Detectives found up to a half million dollars worth of stolen items taken from personal and business sites for several years.
Eileen Krauter searched in hopes of finding her husband's wedding ring and an heirloom bracelet taken from her house in December.
"I had a bracelet with silver hearts that my grandmother gave me. It had names of all of my cousins that are in Tennessee and they were engraved. And, that was really significant. It was something I treasured," said Krauter.
Jewelry, tools, instruments, and artwork are all part of a large bust police made at two separate Bakersfield locations involving two men. Detectives say they were selling the hot heists on E-Bay.
"It appears they were just stealing anything they could get their hands on, grabbing it and taking it. There is no rhyme to anything. There is a wide spectrum of items in here," said Detective Charles Sherman with the Bakersfield Police Department.
On Wednesday, AT&T workers picked up over $10,000 worth of stolen equipment. Detectives also reunited other businesses like PG&E with electronic instruments. And, they are still looking for the oil company that lost life-saving defibrillators in the crimes.
"Each victim we identify is an additional charge on the suspects that are involved as well as the charge of conspiracy of them working together," said Detective Sherman.
While Eileen Krauter didn't find her stolen jewelry, Ron Knight dug for his I.D. in his pocket for the detective. The construction worker found a couple of his trade tools in the piles, part of his livelihood recovered.
"It's too bad they don't realize what they are really doing when they wipe you out like that. You know, it's money in their pocket. I get that. But, it sure hurts the person they are taking it from," said Knight of the burglars.
You can claim the stolen items for the next two weeks, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Bakersfield Police Department. Just bring your I.D. and a detailed description of the items, even if you didn't fill out a police report. Anything unclaimed could go up in a law enforcement auction.