Thefts Cause Headaches for Everyone but Thieves

Most of us think it can`t happen to us, but anyone can become the victim of a crime, at any time. In some cases of theft, what`s lost is never returned, and justice is not always served. When it happened to Heather Hendrix-McAdams, no one saw a thing. "A shock that someone could get into my office and get out with my wallet," said McAdams. In July 2003, someone stole her wallet, and went on a shopping spree. Using her checks and credit cards, someone spent $450 at Hastings, bought a television at Target for $480, $2,800 on tires for an 18-wheeler, and spent $4,000 on a refridgerator, washer and dryer at Lowe`s. McAdams says the thieves then took themselves for $100 dinner at Outback Steakhouse. "I believe the grand total was somewhere around $10,000," she said. McAdams says she spent days tracking all of that information down on her own. "I found a video tape at a gas station, of them, I found a video tape of them at Target," McAdams explained. But for police even with all of that information, making an arrest is not that easy. "But in order for us to make an arrest we have to be able to prove that that`s the actual person that committed the crime," said Sgt. Terry Hastings, Little Rock Police Department. When theives move around, different law enforcement agencies can end up investigating one related case. "Since I live in Maumelle, my wallet was stolen in Little Rock, and they were spending money in North Little Rock," said McAdams. Another hurdle for police to jump when chasing thieves, is finding a suspect`s true identity. The Little Rock Police say they`ve even iussed warrants for someone with a false name. Then it takes them more time to find a real name and issue another warrants. Even then, they may not be able to locate that person to arrest them.