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Family seeks closure from unsolved burglary
Inside her Purcellville home, Ramona Pollock keeps an envelope filled with 16 small plastic baggies – each containing a piece of precious jewelry.She doesn't wear this jewelry because she hopes eventually it will be used as evidence at a criminal trial, one that will bring those who originally took it from her to justice.
The Pollock family's home was burglarized during the day on May 21, 2007. Ramona was at work – she's a flight attendant -- and her son Chris was at Loudoun Valley High School, where he was a junior at the time.
Ramona Pollock's husband died in June 2004, and her oldest son Brian, a pilot, lives in Arizona most of the time but visits his mother often.
Chris was the first to arrive home that day, and he noticed things were disheveled. He was unable to reach his mom, so he called Brian in Arizona.
“At first I didn't really think anything of it,” Brian said.
But as Chris looked around the house more and noticed that a safe in his bedroom had been broken into and things from around the house were missing, Brian called the Purcellville Police Department.
The police came to the Pollock house on Cecilia Lane and filed a report. They also took fingerprints. Then the investigation was turned over to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. A neighbor had seen two young men enter the house that afternoon but could not identify them.
Included in the missing items were Ramona's late husband's wedding ring, several pieces of jewelry, PlayStation 3 games and a Zippo Harley Davidson lighter that Chris had given his dad and later kept as a memento.
For nearly a year, the Pollocks waited to find out how the investigation was going. They even had a family friend who is a lawyer call the Sheriff's Office. Still, they had a difficult time getting any information on the case.
Then, in March of this year, there was a break in the case. While in class at Loudoun Valley, Chris saw another student with the lighter that had been stolen from his house.
He confronted the student, who eventually said he had gotten the lighter from a friend.
After getting the lighter back and returning home, Chris got his mom to call the Sheriff's Office. Investigator Mack Halley questioned the student, whose mother said she had found pieces of jewelry that didn't belong to him or their family in his dresser.
Ramona Pollock said the jewelry ended up being about half of what had been stolen from her.
But when questioned, the student adamantly denied having anything to do with the burglary and would not provide the names of those he received stolen items from, out of loyalty to his friends, according to a report from police.
The student also was fingerprinted, but his prints did not match any that had been taken from the Pollock's home during the initial investigation, the report said.
By contacting U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th), the Pollocks were able to get a report on their case from the Sheriff's Office.
Halley provided the Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office with case details three times, but the office declined to prosecute each time, saying the four factors needed to prove the charge of receiving stolen goods had not been met.
Those four factors are that the goods had been stolen, that the person in possession of them had purchased or received them, that the person who purchased them or received them knew they had been stolen, and that the person who bought or received them did so with dishonest intent.
“Because this kid didn't say anything, he got off,” Brian said.
According to Sheriff's Office spokesman Kraig Troxell, the case is now inactive unless new information is provided to police.
But the Pollock family does not have closure -- not until the rest of the missing custom jewelry has been returned and those responsible for the burglary have been brought to justice.
“The kid needs to learn that he can't do this to other people,” Ramona said. “I don't even want him to go to jail. I would just like to see him have to do some community service.”
With Chris away at college in California, Ramona is by herself most of the time at her Purcellville home, a home her husband built, where she no longer feels safe.
“This town used to be nice,” Brian said. “It used to be safe.”
Contact the reporter at jwagoner@timespapers.com
This is a very sad story. I cannot believe this is remotely tolerated by the community. Action needs to be taken to help this family recover their items. The boy in question knows exactly who is involved and they need to be brought to justice. I think the cop out that "all 4 conditions" have not been met is dispicable and embarrassing. I am ashamed of our police department to take this approach.
The parents of this child also are at blame.
Posted by zodi2001
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It should be disturbing to anyone who reads this to know that the kid was caught red handed and refused to give up the names of the person he recieved the stolen items from. By any sort of fairness, he should be nailed with impeding an investigation or labled as the perpetrator himself. Could the laws that are made to protect the innocent now be used to protect more criminals? I do not feel safe here.
Posted by Nash345
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Shame on the parents of this rotten Kid and his friends. The parents should have question thier son where he gets all the Jewerly.
This person should know that Karma will come and he
better be ready for his actions. It will not only get him
he brought bad Karma to his entire family. God has the
Revenge. I feel sorry for his life and those involved.
They hurt a good family and the Sherrif should do a better
job protecting the citizen of Purcellville. It's amazing how
the Police can't get a conviction.
This neighborhood should be protecting one another.
People are so afraid to get involved. But when it happens
to them they are seeking help from others.
Purcellville used to be a safe town where people don't lock thier homes. Now, you have to get an home alarm and cameras to catch the thieves.
Posted by skyangel787
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