ORLANDO, Fla. — An Apopka man claims a Florida law punishes crime victims if their stolen property turns up in a pawn shop.
Mike Jackson said he found that out when a shop demanded he pay a couple hundred dollars to recover his own stolen iPad.
It’s a controversial law, and not all shops will demand fees.
“I feel I’m being victimized a second time,” said Jackson.
First, the burglar hit Jackson's home near Apopka and swiped two iPads, a laptop and two iPhones.
Jackson said he felt like the victim again when the sheriff's office told him one iPad turned up at a pawn shop near Orlando but that he would have to pay to get it back.
“I was angrier than the fact it got taken in the first place, because now it came back and I would have to pay to get my own property," said Jackson.
Jackson said the pawn shop wanted $225 for the iPad, which is what they paid for it.
Pawn shops have been allowed to charge crime victims since a change in state law 17 years ago, and some routinely do.
If you can't or won't pay, the only option is to take your fight to court. You can file a motion to recover stolen property and hope the judge agrees with you.
There's a fee to file and it can take months.
Jackson called Action 9 and we took his case to this La Familia Pawn Shop.
"Does he have to pay to get his own property back?” asked Action 9's Todd Ulrich.
"He needs to contact the detective and that detective has to call us," a manager said.
Action 9 called its corporate office and was told there's no charge if a police report is filed and the victim will prosecute.
That's what Jackson had already committed to, which means he should get the iPad back before Christmas.
“That would be a blessing, especially for my daughter,” said Jackson.
The sheriff's office is still investigating the burglary.
Pawn shops said they share sales records with police every day and in many cases have helped victims get their property back.