26 Chameleons stolen from Kissimmee FL

I saw the posts on facebook, but I haven't been on the forums in a week or so.... I'm so sad that someone would do this to any creature. I'm so sad to hear about the wounds and broken bones :( So very frustrating and I cannot imagine what your feeling and going through. I'm glad you were able to get some back, I hope you get the others back very soon. :(
 
junglefries said:
You are right, I shouldn't generalize. I translate our local departments to represent the nation. Locally, you are better off driving to a 7-11 for a cop, than calling 911. Completely useless around here. I should know, I was a deputy sheriff. There is no effort around here AT ALL! :mad:
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Yeah it's the opposite in my city. I was just called out to process an attempt burglary in which the suspects didn't even do anything except walk up to a side gate on a video before getting spooked and leaving. There's nothing to fingerprint and no prosecutor is going to file just on that. It did give us a solid lead however and right now about 4 detectives are doing search warrants just based on that. We got the Lic plate in the video so it gave us a lead and might help solve some other burglaries in the area.

That just shows the difference between my department and yours Dez. I get called out for everything even if there is very little I can do.

Any new info ?
 
Dez said:
according to their website they do... Under Special Operations Division..

http://www.osceolasheriff.org/sheriff/113-16471-16491/special_investigations_section.cfm

Personally I only delt with the patrol officer that filed my report.. and then a Detective who helped recover the 10
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They are a sheriff's department. If they are like the ones we have out here then most likely they don't respond to property crimes where the dollar amount is under $25,000. You gotta be well off to merit services you know :mad:
 
TreyLcham said:
some of the comments people are leaving on the news website make me so aggravated >=(. I am very very deeply sorry for what has happen and i hope that you bounce back even stronger than before!
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I am not bothering to read the comments because I am sure they come from non-reptile people that don't really know what they are talking about
 
OldChamKeeper said:
They are a sheriff's department. If they are like the ones we have out here then most likely they don't respond to property crimes where the dollar amount is under $25,000. You gotta be well off to merit services you know :mad:
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Well there was two numbers I could have called... The sheriff's office or the Kissimmee Police. Not sure of I would be any better off if I called one over the other
 
After 2 weeks now, and still no word on the missing chams?
I am thinking they didn't make it and are gone, I hate to say, I just don't have much hope at this point :( :mad:

I just cant believe the cops didn't arrest or interrogate the obvious suspect even after finding him with the 10 chams!!??
They drop it just because the guy say's he "found" them??!!
What did they expect him to say, 'yeah, I stold them"???!!!!
Did the cops go to the scene where he 'found' them?? Did they find the 20gal aquarium sitting there in plain view of your property???
So, the guy gives them some BS story about where he was during the times the theft happened which could be verified with his buddies ??!!

No cop is that STUPID!!!!! :mad:

Sounds like they are treating this more like a domestic dispute then an actual crime.

P.S. Dez, at this point, I think you should go and talk to an attorney. I would also contact your Mayor/Governor, Congressman and Senator.
 
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Psychobunny said:
P.S. Dez, at this point, I think you should go and talk to an attorney. I would also contact your Mayor/Governor, Congressman and Senator.
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That's a good point. Back in 1996 I had some contracting work done on my home. They inadvertently cut my electrical service and didn't notify me despite my explicit instructions. This resulted in the loss of over 3,000 eggs in incubators. It took two days to find an attorney that was sympathetic to my cause. Most of them were like, "So what, it's just a bunch of lizards". The contractors insurance company was basically the same way, but after five years I got my money the day before the hearing. They were afraid a sympathetic jury would award me the full amount, plus five years of emotional distress.
 
Mike, you may have just said the magic words;
"So what, it's just a bunch of lizards"!!

To us, we know their value and difference, to those who couldn't care less, try explaining it to them!!

The thing is, when you say; "these chams are worth $400", what does that really mean to outsider's?
What about the guy who sells panthers for $275?? Don't they look the same as the ones said to be worth $400? Don't chams "change color"? So how can you tell? Look all the same to me!!!

Unless they are insured, and the insurance company "says" they are worth $400, how can I tell?

You see where I am going with this line of thought?

In this case with Dez, her private property was violated and she was robbed!!

If it's illegal in the state of Florida to break and enter and steal someone's property, then the cops did not follow 'due diligence', they chose not to, why?

Value of property stolen is still money, doesn't matter if it's cash, jewelry, chameleons or pork chops, value is still value.

What if, instead of chams, it was, say, camera equipment?

What do you suppose the cops would think and say if I reported that someone broke into my home and stole 6 Canon 50D camera bodies, they get this tip, search a neighbor, and lo and behold, they see a bin with Canon 50D cameras in it?
But, my neighbor tells them "oh, I just found these in the street"!!!

I can identify my stolen equipment with numbers, but if they where panther chams, how would I identify them well enough to convince the cops?
 
I still track this thread. I'm of the mindset that you need to contact the supervision for the department and be a squeaky wheel. That's one thing.

Second thing is to hit the guy who had them with a civil suit. Pain in the *** but it can get some results. Much better to try than to let it go and regret that later. Also if you let it go this time what is not to say it won't happen again in the future. Best to go after them.
 
OldChamKeeper said:
Second thing is to hit the guy who had them with a civil suit. Pain in the *** but it can get some results. Much better to try than to let it go and regret that later. Also if you let it go this time what is not to say it won't happen again in the future. Best to go after them.
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Even if you didn't want to hire a lawyer, there is always small claims and go for the limit. He won't admit to taking them, but if you can get him to admit to knowing that the greenhouse had chameleons in it, and he "found" these next to your property, that will be enough.
 
Mike Fisher said:
Even if you didn't want to hire a lawyer, there is always small claims and go for the limit. He won't admit to taking them, but if you can get him to admit to knowing that the greenhouse had chameleons in it, and he "found" these next to your property, that will be enough.
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Exactly.
 
They were stolen by some local people and she only ended up getting like 10 of them back and some of them were injured and in bad shapet. The people said they found them in some woods by her house, so the police had no proof, so they were never prosecuted as far as I know. The rest of them were never recovered.
 
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