Post Falls man buys, then returns stolen iPhones to Oregon family
Tennen Brelin was convinced her family had seen the last of their iPhones, after a bag of electronics and personal items was swiped during a vacation trip this August at Silverwood.
"They stole over $2,000 worth of stuff, and they used my bank card," the Sandy, Ore., woman said, adding that the theft occurred on her 6-year-old son's birthday.
But she was in for a surprise.
After returning home and posting a Craigslist ad about the stolen belongings, the Brelins received a response.
A Post Falls man, Curt Watson, informed them that he had recently purchased their phones from a tough-looking stranger.
"He knew he had to do the right thing," Brelin said.
Watson, 22, said he had picked up the phones for a discounted price from a man he met online.
The young man, whose hobby is purchasing discounted phones and selling them at a low price to folks on hard times, admitted he suspected the items were stolen.
"I was a little freaked out about buying them," Watson recalled. "I got some references just in case, got his name and number."
After reading the family's Craigslist message, Watson added, his heart strings were sufficiently tugged.
"I really empathized," he said.
He not only recovered one of the phones he had already sold, but also volunteered to mail both back.
"My good morals really came to me," he said.
He shipped the products for free, Brelin said, and the family compensated the $175 he paid for the phones.
"He's been very honest with us," she said.
Watson has tried to track down the man who sold him the phones, he added, but the contact information the stranger provided turned out to belong to someone else.
Watson has provided his description of the events to the police, he added.
"It's definitely taught me a lesson on how to purchase the phones next time," he said.
Although he couldn't return all the family's items, Watson said, he believes the gesture has helped in some small way.
"Hopefully what I did will put them at ease a little bit," he said.