I think they would only be in trouble if they knowingly received stolen merchandise. It doesn't sound as if that was the case. They are obligated to release i

I think they would only be in trouble if they knowingly received stolen merchandise. It doesn't sound as if that was the case. They are obligated to release it to free to the police, as evidence. It does indeed sound like the police were waiting on her decision to investigate or not. They probably understand that it's a massive headache to be without your laptop for months, and also that there's a very low probability of catching the criminal, and thus gave the victim a reasonable alternative to having to wait so long.