Victim Helps Wagoner County Deputies Catch Craigslist Theft Suspect

Some crime-fighting creativity led to a Craigslist crackdown on a suspected car parts thief.

Investigators say the victim's quick thinking and search engine skills helped lead to the suspect.

"He communicated directly with our suspect," Wagoner County Deputy Gary Handley said.

Handley is talking about a recent crime victim -- a guy who had parts ripped off his car when it was at a storage facility.

The victim didn't want to be interviewed, but investigators say his quick thinking and leg work helped to lead to an arrest.

"He's very lucky," Handley said. "I mean, you know, lately we've been doing really well at recovering people's stolen stuff and this is another success story."

It's a success story because the victim found his own things for sale on Craigslist in the auto parts section for Tulsa.

"They were pictured in the Craigslist ad with the person's email address and phone number," Handley said.

Law enforcement officers then set up a sting and arrested 22-year-old Suzuki Her as he tried to sell items from the victim's car.

Two fenders, the bumper, the hood, two light assemblies and more had been ripped off the Acura.

Investigators say the victim was able to get it all back quickly because of his heads-up search on Craigslist and his detailed description of the items to investigators.

"Really nobody knows your stuff better than you do," Handley said. "Fortunately it went very, very well."

Investigators urge everyone to keep a checklist with descriptions and serial numbers of your valuables on it.

If they are stolen, it will help you get your property if it is recovered.