Chamber names deputy of quarter
When a local person had his ring stolen, Lee County Sheriff’s Office Detective Dan Greenup made it his personal quest to find the person who did it, even on his days off.
It was that kind of commitment that earned Greenup the North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce Deputy of the Quarter award during its monthly business leaders luncheon at the Smokin’ Pit on Dec. 16.
On May 15, a theft was reported at the McDonalds on N. Cleveland Avenue. The victim, an employee for more than 25 years who is mentally challenged, had his achievement ring from the company, valued at more than $1,000, stolen by a frequent customer.
Greenup investigated and was able to identify the suspect through surveillance footage and was able to make an arrest.
He also discovered the ring had been sold to a local pawn shop. Due to the laws pertaining to pawn shops, the victim was unable to get his ring back. Affidavits and documents would have to be filled out by the victim, which with someone with mental limitations would prove a challenge.
Greenup worked, even on his off days, to get assistance to guide him through the legal system and court proceedings. Eventually, he was able to get the victim some assistance, who guided him through the legal proceedings, making the recovery of the ring possible.
As far as the legal case, in November, the case went before a judge and an arrest warrant was issued to the manager of the pawn shop for exploitation and dealing in stolen property.
“Greenup’s demonstration of compassion and commitment toward this victim is commendable,” said presenter Mark Combs.
North District commander, Capt. Christopher Reeves, said the ring was the theft victim’s most cherished possession, as he worked 20 years for it.
“The way Dan took it upon himself to work on his days off if he had to, it was his sole mission in life,” Reeves said. “He is protecting your community and to protect those who can’t protect themselves.”
Reeves added that there have been issues with some area pawn shops. Greenup wanted to get the property back and save taxpayers a lot of money by thoroughly going through the legal system.
“This is the second case in the state and first in Lee County where we’ve bene able to arrest a pawn shop owner,” Reeves said.
During the luncheon, Reeves was the guest speaker who discussed the happenings in his district regarding crime.
This year, the North district made 338 arrests. The next closest district was 259. Also, Reeves said when he got there, there was a slew of auto and home burglaries.
Through numerous strategies, in one year, crime stats went down 20 percent. And during the Thanksgiving weekend, deputies were given unlimited overtime to make sure no crimes happened on Black Friday.
“Auto thefts are down tremendously. Business burglaries are up, but we have extra police on. We are trying every angle to solve crime in the North district,” Reeves said. “On Black Friday, we had no retail arrests, no robberies in the parking lots, and people were thanking us.”
It was the first luncheon to be run by president-elect Jeffery Houfek, who will take over as president at the beginning of the year. Current president Al Giacalone was unable to attend due to a previous commitment.