[on2wheels52]

Neil
I'm sorry about your neighbor's situation, I don't know how things are done in Dallas but will describe how it works in my town (<15,000 pop.)
Eveything that comes in my shop goes on report the sherriff's office picks up once a week. It has the item, serial # (if any), and name, address, and ID# of who it came from.
If something comes up hot I usually get a call from an investigator who asks me to put a hold on the item, he may ask some details about the ttransaction. I become an extension of the property room perhaps.
The quickest way for the owner to get item returned is to re-imburse me, knowing an arrest is in the works for the perp who will have restitution as part of his sentence.
But again I'm not in a big city, any ownership problems are a minor percentage of what comes in, I get a call to hold something every couple of months. And most often the perp is a family member or friend. I have had some upset people come in to buy their stuff back. How would you deal with your child stealing from you? I've heard there's reality shows on tv.
Jim