A McAlester man recovered dozens of his stolen tools after spotting them for sale on Facebook Marketplace, leading police to two suspects and the discovery of additional stolen property, according to a McAlester Police Department affidavit.
Officer Nicholas Mattioda responded Jan. 22 to a burglary at a residence and shop near W. Park, where the victim reported multiple tools stolen from property that had belonged to his late father.
The victim said his sister found the shop door open earlier that day, and he later discovered the home had also been broken into.
The following day, Detective Sharp learned that many of the stolen tools were listed for sale under the name “Bree Osburn” on Facebook Marketplace. The victim said he communicated with Bree and Angelica Osburn about viewing the items.
On Jan. 29, the victim met with Bree Osburn at a residence at 31 W. Walker, where he identified several of the tools as his, including a Chicago Electric welder.
The victim later told police that Osburn said more tools were stored in Unit 131 at Click Storage on Main Street. When he arrived, he saw Osburn and a man identified as Aaron Prater attempting to access the unit and recognized additional stolen tools.
Officers detained both suspects. Police said the storage unit lock had been cut and a stolen Dremel tool was found nearby.
According to the affidavit, Osburn admitted posting the tools for sale but said she did not know who brought them to the residence. Prater claimed he only possessed a Kobalt wrench set and said he bought it months earlier. Osburn later told police she had given the set to Prater shortly before officers arrived.
Search warrants were executed at the residence and storage unit, where additional stolen tools were recovered and taken to police headquarters. Bree Osburn pled not guilty to the charges of knowingly receiving or concealing stolen property and was given a bond of $75,000.