KINFOLKS CAN DO WEIRD THINGS !!

·         Posted Apr. 13, 2013 @ 10:00 am  Shawnee News-Star  Our Local Paper

A California man with a home he rented out in Shawnee has reported about $45,000 in household goods stolen from that residence and is making allegations that someone held a garage sale there and allegedly sold his belongings without his knowledge.

Former Shawnee resident Ken Clifford, who now lives in the Los Angeles area, has filed a police report in the case.

Clifford, who left his Shawnee home in the 500 block of West Dewey about a year ago, said he rented the home, which was furnished, to distant relatives, leaving furniture and other items inside that home for their use.

In a detached garage, which he said was to be “off limits,” he stored his car and many other items, from expensive tools to personal property.

“I rented it out — everything was fine,” he said.

But when he didn’t receive the rent and couldn’t reach the tenants last month, Clifford became suspicious and had a friend check the home, which appeared to be empty.

“It looked like no one was around,” he said. He had another friend check the home, which was found to be in a state of disarray, with his household furnishings and the storage items in the garage no where to be found.

His vehicle, which he alleges had been driven, remained, but all of his tools, construction equipment and other items from the detached garage were gone.

Clifford, who said he later learned a garage sale was held at the home on Feb. 16-17, said he believes all of his property was sold at that sale and now he wants answers.

“They cleaned me out,” Clifford said.

He said a witness has reported to him that he bought a tool that was worth about $150 for one dollar at the reported garage sale. Among household items missing from the home are his leather couch, tables, and other furnishings from the appliances to artwork and other items.

“I am thoroughly beside myself,” Clifford said, adding he’s tried to contact the previous tenants by phone to question them about the property, but “they’re not talking to me at all.”

Still, he has no definitive proof what happened to any of his property.

“I don’t need to get any more upset about this…I need to know justice is done,” he said. “Justice is having someone reprimanded.”

Clifford said he made a theft report with police, who have indicated to him this is a civil issue.

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Shawnee Police Detective Ethan Rieves said if the lease signed by Clifford and the tenant doesn’t clearly indicate which items in the house were the property owner’s and were required to remain in the home, then this is a case of a landlord and tenant dispute and “turns into a civil issue.”

“It’s his word against their word,” Rieves said, adding that without a lease showing what’s spelled out to stay, this becomes a division of property issue for a judge to decide.

Rieves, who said he last spoke with Clifford a few days ago, said Friday night that he is awaiting Clifford to send him a copy of lease. Once Rieves receives it, he’ll review it to see what items are supposed to be at the home that are no longer there.

“If the property is supposed to be there and he can provide that form to us, this turns into a criminal investigation,” the detective said, and a detective will be assigned the case.

But until that happens, Rieves said police have no way of knowing what items in the home were Clifford’s and what items the tenants could have moved into that home.

If this turns out to be a criminal action and police can track down the property, Rieves said those who bought stolen items at the garage sale could be out the money they paid for their purchases.

Clifford, who said he is upset at Shawnee police because of this ordeal, said Friday he hadn’t yet sent the lease papers to Rieves but will do so in case there’s anything else police can do.

He also is upset at the city of Shawnee for issuing a garage sale permit at the residence.

City Planner Justin Erickson said when someone applies for a garage sale permit, the city checks utility records and also makes sure there haven’t been more than the three sales per year at the same address, which is intended to protect residents in the neighborhood.

In this case, the person applying for the garage sale permit also was the same person who had water service at the home, Erickson said.

“We followed procedures we do for all garage sales…there was nothing abnormal about the issuance of a permit,” Erickson said.

“We don’t know what they’re selling in terms of a private sale…we’re not there to police contents of a garage sale,” he said. “There’s no way of knowing what individuals are selling or claim ownership to,” he added.

For now, Clifford, who remains in California for his job in real estate, said he’s having the house repaired so he can either rent it out again or possibly live in it when he returns to Oklahoma. Or he may just decide to sell it.

Making this situation worse is that Clifford had insurance on the home itself, but not his contents since it was considered a rental.

“Nothing was covered except the building,” he said.

Attempts were made to reach Clifford’s prior tenants to ask about the garage sale, but those efforts were unsuccessful.