Brickbat: Thick as Thieves

An Oklahoma man is suing the Grady County Sheriff’s Office for keeping his stolen property. Stacey McCurry said thieves stole his $6,000 Yamaha four-wheeler from his property in 2020. The sheriff’s office recovered it in 2021, but McCurry did not learn about it until earlier this year, when it showed up in a national database for stolen items. When he tried to retrieve it, a deputy told him the department was keeping it, because a judge had awarded it to them after prosecutors advised the agency to dispose of evidence from closed cases, and because they had spent about $1,060 of taxpayer money on new tires and a battery. They even obtained a judge’s order allowing them to title the vehicle in the department’s name. McCurry offered to reimburse them for the tires and battery, but officials refused.