Getting My Stuff Stolen and Recovered

 Back in March 2021, my backpack was stolen, along with my Chromebook, a small collection of pens, two notebooks, and a pair of prescription sunglasses. I filed a police report, knowing the odds of getting my stuff back were slim.

Fast-forward to Friday, April 30, 2021, when I received a call at nearly 9 pm from an officer from Eugene PD. He said that he may have my Chromebook in his possession, and to prove it, to send a screenshot with the serial number. I replied to his call with a text that included a screenshot. He then told me that I could pick up my laptop the next week from the evidence unit. The plot thickens...

Wednesday, May 5, 2021, I received a call from my boss at about 8:45 am. He said an officer from Eugene PD was trying to contact me due to a subpoena. I wrote down the number and called the officer. He informed me that I was being subpoenaed by a grand jury the next day, for the suspect who was found in possession of my Chromebook when he was arrested. I showed up at the courthouse the next day at the appointed time and waited for my turn to testify. It gets weirder...

While looking at my subpoena, I recognized the name of the Deputy DA prosecuting the case, as his last name was rather uncommon. When I told him I recognized his name from elementary school, he stopped dead in his tracks. We also went to the same middle school and high school. He was a year behind me in classes. Anyhow, I give my testimony, via iPad, to the grand jury, and meet the Deputy DA in the hall afterward. And now for the penultimate act...

I arrived at the Evidence Unit for Eugene PD at the appointed time. When they handed it to me, it was my Chromebook, but whoever had it in the aftermath of the theft took off my stickers, including ones from a local NPR station, Dutch Bros., and some from Coca-Cola. Also, most of the screws on the underside had been removed, as it appears they were either looking for a hard drive or to override the write-protection built into Chromebooks. And now for the icing on the cake.

When I arrived home from giving testimony and retrieving my Chromebook, I had my wife search on Google for the name of the suspect I testified against. It turns out he was arrested on April 30, at 6 pm, with another person, in a stolen U-Haul, with a bunch of stolen goods. I then realized that it only took the police 3 hours from arrest to calling me telling me that they had some of my stolen property.

The only way this whole thing could have been stranger is if my good friend from church, who is a sergeant with Eugene PD, had been involved. The moral of the story is that sometimes justice is served, albeit slowly at times.