Behind the Badge
Kenneth Pewett received a very nice gift from Anaheim Police detectives Dec. 12 — his military dog tags, recovered after they were stolen out of his car Thanksgiving morning.
“Those were the first dog tags I received when I came into the Army,” Pewett said, adding that they held tremendous sentimental value.
According to Det. Dave Hermann, who presented Pewett with the recovered tags Monday at APD headquarters, he and his partner, case lead Det. JC Rodriguez, learned where they could possibly find Pewett’s wallet and tags after an interview with the suspect.
The detectives headed out to an industrial area of Anaheim to search a parking lot. They didn’t find Pewett’s wallet, but they did find Pewett’s tags.
Suspect Andrew Randall. APD booking photo
“You only get one set of dog tags your entire career,” Hermann said of members of the military. “Getting somebody’s dog tags back is pretty awesome.”
Sgt. Daron Wyatt said the case is a great example of solid detective work combined with community involvement.
When Pewett’s red Dodge Charger was burglarized, someone in his apartment complex reported the suspicious activity to security.
As the suspect was walking away with two of Pewett’s bags, security approached the man and asked which unit he lived in at the complex. The suspect gave security an incorrect number, dropped the bags and started running.
The security guard notified Pewett his car had been broken into, and by the time he came out to his car that Thursday morning, police and CSI already were working the crime scene.
Kenneth Pewett. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Pewett, who actually works in law enforcement himself (for the Department of Defense), was impressed by how swiftly APD detectives found the tags.
“I know how long investigations take,” he said. “That was quick… I was happy.”
According to Hermann, the case still is under investigation. Also still missing are the first combat patch that Pewett received while serving in Desert Storm, along with sunglasses, his Bluetooth and some training materials. The suspect, Andrew Randall, 21, of Bakersfield, apparently had ransacked the vehicle before he took the bags.
Randall has been charged with one count of second-degree burglary.
“Sometimes sentimental value is far more than monetary value,” Wyatt said.
Anaheim PD Det. Dave Hermann hands Andrew Pewett his recovered U.S. Army dog tags on Dec. 12. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
