Lawrence Police Department Begins Returning Stolen Items

On Easter Sunday, the Lawrence Kansas Police Department received several auto burglary and theft reports, from various locations around the city.  One of those victims called dispatch Monday morning to say he electronically tracked his stolen AirPods to a motel in north Lawrence and wanted assistance with retrieving them.  Had he not done that, officers may not have discovered thousands of dollars of stolen merchandise inside the room.  Along with the stolen merchandise, officers recovered a stolen vehicle, several stolen license plates, approximately 35 stolen forms of identification, and various amounts of illegal drugs.

Detective Evan Curtis and Officer Charles Smyser have been meticulously bagging, marking, and cross-referencing reports – working to connect people with their items. One such item was a Simon & Patrick guitar, which was returned to its rightful owner, “Outlaw Jake”, just in time for Saturday’s Downtown Lawrence Music Crawl.  Regarding the guitar, Detective Curtis stated, “It’s this type of outcome, where it is not only an expensive item but something so sentimental, that makes this difficult job worth doing,” he continued, “but it’s going to take some time.” The department has also returned a car stereo, subwoofer, numerous electronics, shoes, a lawn chair and much more.

Detectives will continue working to identify victims and reunite them with their stolen property. If you had your property stolen from your vehicle or residence between 04/18/2025 and 04/21/2025, and have yet to make a report, please contact the Lawrence Police Department at 785.843.0250.