LEXINGTON, Ky. (WDKY)- It took a man carrying a backpack just 68 seconds to steal $25,000 in trading cards from a Lexington sports memorabilia store.
The owner says it was a bold move for the masked intruder, not just because of all the security cameras, but because Kentucky Roadshow Shop has a social media following 25,000 strong. Now, many of them are trying to figure out who the intruder is.
“I was like ‘oh man, this guy doesn’t have a chance.’ I had so many eyes out there,” says owner Jimmy Mahan.
Jimmy’s Kentucky Roadshow Shop is relatively new to Romany Road. But it’s owner, Jimmy Mahan has roots in Lexington.
“It stung because so much of what we’re trying to do through the hobby, is community based. It’s like, if somebody came in and needed help, we probably would’ve helped,” says Mahan.
Instead, on the evening of April 29th, a masked intruder busted his way into the store and helped himself to an estimated $25,000 in wax trading cards.
Not long after Mahan’s break-in, 170 miles south in Knoxville, detectives there worked a similar burglary. A thief busted into Eddie’s Sports Treasures the same way and took $50,000 in cards.
“One of the boxes that he took, it retails for $3,500,” says Eddie Barkley, the owner of the shop. “And I had eight of those taken.”
Now, detectives in two states are comparing notes.
“I think there’s a loose connection to that,” says Lexington Police Detective Anthony Delimpo. “Whether the individual is from here or there I don’t know, but there is a connection to that one I believe.”
“It’s a gut punch,” Mahan says because he’s confident the man has been in the store before and store employees have probably talked to him.
“We pride ourselves on ‘hey, come on in. We’re gonna greet you. We’re gonna talk to you’, says Mahan. “So that stings that the decision was still made, well I’m gonna go rob them.”
Lexington Police are asking for people to be on the lookout for the cards on sites like Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp or Craigslist.
If you recognize the man, call the Crime Stoppers tip line at 253-2020.
