Security camera shows burglary footage, stolen item returned - WMBFNews.com, Myrtle Beach/Florence SC, Weather

FLORENCE, SC (WMBF) - One man was able to catch the alleged culprits who stole a generator from his trailer parked in his driveway using footage from an outdoor security camera.

Landon Brent is the owner of that generator, and he told WMBF News the story of how he was reunited with his stolen belonging.

It was Thursday morning when Brent went outside to his trailer parked in his driveway and first realized the generator was missing.

He said he then consulted his newly installed outdoor security system and found video showing two people breaking into his trailer and stealing the generator.

"All I saw at that point was them going in and taking the generator, but then I go back and look at it from the beginning, and they cased it like two hours earlier," said Landon Brent.

He then posted the surveillance footage to Facebook.

Almost immediately, he said the post received a lot of traction and was shared hundreds of times.

Next, he said he knew he had to check online websites where people can post used items for sale.

"And sure enough, there's my generator. And the time that she had posted it was like five minutes after she stole it, and I thought that was pretty bold," Brent said .

Brent said he notified the Florence Police Department of the stolen generator when the alleged crime originally happened.

Once he discovered where his generator was and who had it, he decided try to get it back himself.

He enlisted a close friend to assist him in the process. Together, the two posed as interested buyers and began contacting the generator seller.

"They were asking $500 for it, and he offered $450, and they said, 'Yeah, we'll take it,' and he said, 'Well, where do you want to meet'," Brent said.

They decided to meet at a nearby convenience store.

Brent said he wore a body camera and recorded the entire confrontation.

"I just told him, I said, 'Listen, I'm not the police, I'm not here to arrest you, but it's mine. And he of course kept denying, and I said, 'You stole it from my truck last night,'" Brent said.

At first, the alleged culprits denied Brent's accusations, but once Brent told them he had surveillance footage to back him up, he said they admitted to the crime.

Eventually, Brent was able to get his generator back.

"The best thing about it was getting everything back and everybody loves that story when you actually find the person in less than eight hours, and you get your stuff back," Brent said.

The two alleged suspects have not been arrested yet and Florence Police say the investigation is still ongoing.

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