After team jerseys go missing, DPD and Rockies teamed up to track down thief in an unlikely spot
What started as a missing baseball jersey turned into a massive search involving the Colorado Rockies and Denver Police.
A police report received by CBS News Colorado shows it happened during the COVID-shortened 2020 MLB season. The San Diego Padres were in Denver to play the Rockies between Aug. 28 and Sept. 1. That's when Padres team staff members realized two jerseys had gone missing from their inventory, both belonging to infielder Fernando Tatis, Jr.
While equipment disappearing is not entirely uncommon, the Padres' staff nevertheless went to the Rockies and asked them to review security footage and to interview anyone who came near the visitor's clubhouse.
During the short 2020 season, the Rockies had opened up an adjacent clubhouse to allow teams to practice social distancing. Everyone from clubhouse staff to custodians were asked if they had seen anything suspicious.
The Rockies confirmed to CBS News Colorado that clubhouse manager Mike Pontarelli, his boss, Assistant General Manager Zack Rosenthal, and visiting clubhouse manager Alan Bossert all met with the Rockies Vice President of Ballpark Operations Kevin Kahn and Senior Director of Security Tony Lopez to go through security footage.
Nothing was found on the footage, and both clubhouses were locked tight with security posted.
The thefts continued when staff members from the San Francisco Giants reported that two of their jerseys had also gone missing. One belonged to infielder Pablo Sandoval, and the other belonged to pitcher Johnny Cueto.
The Rockies then decided to call Denver Police for help, and a detective was assigned to the case.
The team told DPD that it was not possible that the equipment had been taken from the stadium, given the measures put in place. Anyone coming or going was searched.
Later that month, with the Los Angeles Dodgers in town, it was soon reported that ten jerseys had been taken - jerseys belonging to pitcher Joe Kelly, three belonging to outfielder Cody Bellinger, outfielder Mookie Betts, and pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
A jersey from Oakland A's pitcher Matt Chapman was also discovered, along with batting gloves, a Giants COVID facemask, and some jelly beans belonging to Johnny Cueto taken from his bag.
The jerseys in question then showed up on eBay, with the seller claiming the gear was "obtained direct from team on trip to Colorado."
Police contacted the eBay seller, who said they had purchased the gear on the retail website Mercari, and provided police with a complete list of everything they had bought.
Police eventually tracked down the original seller, a man named Dakota Reeves. A search revealed that Reeves worked for a third-party aviation contractor who provided ground services for charter planes at Denver International Airport.
Police confirmed Reeves was working when all four teams arrived in Denver. Photos posted to Reeves' personal Facebook page also show him on the tarmac and inside both the cabin and cargo area with Rockies equipment present.
Denver Police say Reeves used compression pants under sweatpants to conceal the jerseys he took out of team bags on the tarmac.
The Giants offered to send the jerseys to Denver Chief Deputy DA W. Khoury Dillon, who prosecuted the case and who himself says he's a huge "fan boy" of the team. He declined the offer, to adhere to ethics rules.
CBS News Colorado has independently confirmed facts that first appeared in a Sports Illustrated article published Monday. No information had previously been released by officials regarding the theft in the last three years, until the article was published.
Reeves was sentenced to one year of probation and has since completed his sentence.
