Tulsa County Family Helps Deputies Catch Suspected Home Burglar

A Tulsa County family helped deputies catch a man accused of breaking into their home and stealing more than $20,000 of their belongings.

Jason Henderson is behind bars facing nine charges including stolen property, drug possession, and possession of a firearm by a felon. 

The break-in happened in March. When they came back from a weekend getaway, they found their home ransacked. 

3/22/2018 Related Story: Green Country Family Offers $2,000 Reward To Catch Burglars

The thieves unscrewed all outdoor light bulbs and did a good job covering their tracks but not good enough.

Five TVs, electronics, guns, clothes and $6,000 in tools were hauled off in a truck and trailer.

The crooks even stole 25 bucks from their daughter's piggy bank.

"We went and looked at some video surveillance of the store out by our house … we made so many phone calls … some were dead ends, but others were great leads," said Victim Jennifer Smith. 

Smith and her family eventually spotted a post on Facebook marketplace.

"The detective wanted two or three days to look into it. We thought in two or three days he would have had our things sold and so my husband decided to take care of this now," Smith said. 
 
So the Smith's had a friend buy back their nail gun from the post, confirmed it was theirs, and then arranged to meet Henderson to buy back their jackhammer.

"Basically, set up a sting. They go along, and Mr. Jason Henderson arrives to meet who he thinks is a prospective buyer,” said Tulsa County Deputy Casey Roebuck.  

"He had my son's laptop in the car with him, and he was wearing my husband's clothes and a hat of mine," said Smith. 

The Smith's now have about a third of their stuff back, including three smashed TVs. 
Deputies said the search led to hundreds of stolen items. 

"The fact that he's behind bars and not victimizing more businesses or residents is also in the win column," said Roebuck. 

"That feeling of “home”, we're slowly working on getting back. It's taken a village of friends and family and the community but we got him. Jason is right where he belongs; behind bars right now," Smith said. 

Investigators said Henderson is also tied to a break-in at a Creek County Marina. The owner said they got away with $30,000 worth of stuff, including more than 100 fishing poles, boat trailers, and a truck.