You need to CYA. So I hope you actually filed a polce report with descriptions and serial numbers and got an polce report incident number.
This will protect you from a law enforcement officer finding you with the merchandise, checking the serial numbers, finding out one is stolen, and then charging you with "Possession of Stolen Property."
In many states, the fact that you did not know the property was stolen is not a valid defense. The authorities need only show that #1. The merchandise was stolen, and #2. You had it in your possession.
In other states, the circumstances under which you came into possession of said merchandise can be used as an aggravating charge to show that a reasonable person should have known the items were stolen.
In your case, finding a buried cache of cameras would certainly cause a reasonable person to suspect that the cameras may have been stolen.
I mean, is it more reasonable to believe that a person buried a large number of cameras and lenses because they were playing a treasure game, or that they were trying to hide stolen property?
Checking it out on a police computer does nothing to protect you. As well as the fact that this may not have been one theft of a large number of cameras. It may have been many burglaries of one camera at a time.
This is SERIOUS BUSINESS and not to be taken lightly.
You could be charged with FELONY possession !
If even one camera comes up as stolen via a serial number check, given the circumstances under which you found the cameras, this would lead a reasonable person to believe that they might have been stolen.
You could be found guilty and sentenced to as much jail time as a burglar who originally committed the crime in which the merchandise was taken.
SO - if the police did not take an actual written report, I would insist that they do so, and get the incident number assigned to said report to cover your butt.
I'm not whistling Dixie here ! I have been a law enforcement professional for 35 years. A former police officer, with an Associate Degree in Police Science, a Bachelor's Degree in Administration of Criminal Justice. A Master's degree in criminology, and another in Polygraphy. And a Ph.D. in Criminal Psychology. I have taught at the LVMPD police academy as well teaching Criminal Investigation at the local State college. I've been a licensed Private Investigator and Polygraph Examiber for 28 years.
I want to empasize again, this is not to be taken lightly.
The last thing we need is a headline that says, "Metal Detectorists charged with possession of stolen cameras."
Do not let the excitement of unearthing valuable merchandise over-rule your good judgement and your responsibility as a law abiding citizen, and your ethical obligation as a detectorists to take all reasonable steps necessary to unite the owner with their lost or stolen merchandise.
If it were me, I would file a police report, and have the news media do a story on the incident. I would have then take pictures of the cameras, so the names of the cameras can not be seen. In the article I would have the media advise anyone in the public who had been the victim of a theft of a camera to contact the police to see if the serial number of their stolen camera matched any of those you recovered.
BCOT!
DOC
