A Florida woman said she was distraught when her video camera was stolen out of her minivan, then it was found at a pawn shop.
Amanda Selby said she was told she would have to pay to get her camera back, even though deputies believe they know who stole it.
Selby stored the $500 Nikon camera in her pregnancy “go bag” to record her child’s first moments.
“I went to look for my camera the day after I had him and the camera wasn’t there,” she said.
A suspect, later identified by deputies as James Rouse, is accused of burglarizing her van and stealing the camera.
Detectives eventually tracked it down at Gold and Gadgets in Deltona where they said Rouse sold it for $190.
“I was like, ‘This is great, I’m going to get my camera back soon,’” Selby said.
But after weeks of investigating, the Sheriff’s Office said it turned the case over to the Volusia County state attorney who declined to prosecute.
The State Attorney’s Office said they have no record of getting the case.
Gold and Gadgets workers said they gave the Sheriff’s Office all the evidence needed to prosecute the man who allegedly stole the camera, including his thumbprint, but the suspect was never arrested.
Workers said they’ll return the camera to its rightful owner if a warrant is issued for Rouse’s arrest.
Since that hasn’t happened, Selby was told she’ll have to buy the camera back.
“That’s just ridiculous to me,” she said.
Authorities said if Selby doesn’t buy her camera back she’ll have to file a claim in court to recover it.
