The article is lacking in numerous details; however something glaring to me is that they don't talk about how / when the laptop went missing and / or the relationship between the victim and the neighbor. Was there an opportunity for the neighbor to take the laptop?

Also, and this could just be me: I found it odd that the neighbor was fine with calling the police as well as speaking to the author of the article. I wouldn't have thought that the perpetrator of a crime such as theft would _want_ the police / attention put on them.