Traffic stop in Pottawatomie County leads to recovery of stolen safe
A Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office deputy made a routine traffic stop that led the Sheriff's Office to uncovering thousands of dollars' worth of items inside a stolen safe.
Sheriff Mike Booth said the traffic stop earlier this week was for broken stop lights. The officer found that the driver and his passenger didn’t have valid driver’s licenses.
The deputy noticed the large item they were transporting and asked the men why they were nervous. Their answer didn’t satisfy the officer.
“In this particular instance, he noticed a large safe in the back of the SUV and got suspicious of the safe and the position it was in,” Booth said. “(Investigators later found out) that we had a recent burglary that day where a large safe was taken.”
The deputy did not know that at the time of the traffic stop. He let the men go with a warning about their licenses, but impounded the SUV and everything inside of it.
The men pleaded with officers to have someone with a license swing by to pick up the SUV, but he refused.
The victim of the stolen safe was located, and when deputies opened up the safe they found several weapons, jewelry and coins inside. The victim said a pellet gun also had been taken. It was found in the SUV.
There is a warrant out for the men now. Deputies said both are convicted felons.
Booth is urging people to write down the serial number of their weapons and expensive items in case they're ever stolen.
It’s faster for law enforcement to return stolen items to victims if they have serial numbers and pictures to prove that they belong to them.