Fellow INGO members,
I have held off on posting about this while the early stages of the case were working themselves out. While things are still early, and as such I am going to be very careful and non-specific on certain points, I would like to share this now:
On July 1, 2011, just after 5:30am our store was broken into by a team of four burglars. In one minute they stole $23,000+ in product including both retail product and customer machines. These are the security videos of the break in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RipLGrBunDs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy70mxYrncU
The alarm system went off quickly as the break-in occurred and police were on scene before I got there, but the damage was still done. We had to rebuild our door, inventory stolen items and begin assessing who to call.
There is nothing worse than having to call a customer to tell them that their computer and data were stolen. One was a dissertation and both the original copy and backup - both stolen.
By early afternoon we had repaired door, a new security bar system in the works, and a good idea of just how bad things were for us. It was not a good day and one worker even said, "What's the point of getting all the serials to the police, they never get machines back." We prepared to get a solid and final list to the police anyways.
Then the phone rang. It was the local police working as liaison with the Ohio state police who had just pulled over a carload of 4 individuals. This is the WHIO report on it:
4 Arrested For Role In Computer Store Burglary - News Story - WHIO Dayton
I cannot relay how excited we were to have the police read us the names which were still attached to the machines found in the car with the 4 individuals! Those were our computers!
By last thursday we had worked out with OSP the retrieval of our machines and with the Preble County Prosecutor what was needed in able to keep the 4 in jail and prosecuted. On Friday I got my subpoenas to appear and the following monday drove 3 hours each way to be in court.
The defense apparently had hoped no one would show so they could attempt to get the charges dismissed. Instead they moved for a continuance to reschedule the hearing for Wednesday.
The defense was less happy on Wednesday because they really hoped no one would show and I did to their dismay.
The hearing went forward, with extra security I guess due to the number and history of the defendants, and I got to sit on the stand and watch defense attorneys go for a hail mary pass.
They failed. They lost and we made real clear that we were ready to do whatever we had to do take these guys off the street. The prosecution said that the testimony was perfect and they likely will plead out in the process.
This was yesterday. Add to that - when I returned to our shop, I got a call from our police here letting us know warrants were being issued and the 4 will be facing additional charges here in Bloomington as well just as soon as Ohio is done with them.
Go team! It is nice for the good guys to win one for once.
Techres
P.S. A huge thanks goes out to all the departments that worked together to make this happen: Bloomington PD, Ohio State Police, Owen County Sheriff Department, Paris Police, and New Hope Police as well!
I have held off on posting about this while the early stages of the case were working themselves out. While things are still early, and as such I am going to be very careful and non-specific on certain points, I would like to share this now:
On July 1, 2011, just after 5:30am our store was broken into by a team of four burglars. In one minute they stole $23,000+ in product including both retail product and customer machines. These are the security videos of the break in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RipLGrBunDs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy70mxYrncU
The alarm system went off quickly as the break-in occurred and police were on scene before I got there, but the damage was still done. We had to rebuild our door, inventory stolen items and begin assessing who to call.
There is nothing worse than having to call a customer to tell them that their computer and data were stolen. One was a dissertation and both the original copy and backup - both stolen.
By early afternoon we had repaired door, a new security bar system in the works, and a good idea of just how bad things were for us. It was not a good day and one worker even said, "What's the point of getting all the serials to the police, they never get machines back." We prepared to get a solid and final list to the police anyways.
Then the phone rang. It was the local police working as liaison with the Ohio state police who had just pulled over a carload of 4 individuals. This is the WHIO report on it:
4 Arrested For Role In Computer Store Burglary - News Story - WHIO Dayton
I cannot relay how excited we were to have the police read us the names which were still attached to the machines found in the car with the 4 individuals! Those were our computers!
By last thursday we had worked out with OSP the retrieval of our machines and with the Preble County Prosecutor what was needed in able to keep the 4 in jail and prosecuted. On Friday I got my subpoenas to appear and the following monday drove 3 hours each way to be in court.
The defense apparently had hoped no one would show so they could attempt to get the charges dismissed. Instead they moved for a continuance to reschedule the hearing for Wednesday.
The defense was less happy on Wednesday because they really hoped no one would show and I did to their dismay.
The hearing went forward, with extra security I guess due to the number and history of the defendants, and I got to sit on the stand and watch defense attorneys go for a hail mary pass.
They failed. They lost and we made real clear that we were ready to do whatever we had to do take these guys off the street. The prosecution said that the testimony was perfect and they likely will plead out in the process.
This was yesterday. Add to that - when I returned to our shop, I got a call from our police here letting us know warrants were being issued and the 4 will be facing additional charges here in Bloomington as well just as soon as Ohio is done with them.
Go team! It is nice for the good guys to win one for once.
Techres
P.S. A huge thanks goes out to all the departments that worked together to make this happen: Bloomington PD, Ohio State Police, Owen County Sheriff Department, Paris Police, and New Hope Police as well!
Awesome quick work by the police and you for putting those ***hats where they belong.
to the LEO's involved, glad to hear you helped bust those deadbeats and recovered your inventory!
