43
Bar eyed in probe of tool thefts
BOARDMAN
Township detectives are investigating a large-scale theft ring in which items stolen from retail stores are suspected of being sold to a Youngstown bar.
No charges have been filed in the case, said Boardman Detective Glenn Patton this week.
In early August, Boardman police, with help from the Mahoning Valley Violent Crimes Task Force, raided the Open Hearth Bar, 207 Steel St., and a bar employee’s Canfield home.
When contacted Tuesday by The Vindicator about the raid and investigation, the bar’s owner, William Matsouris Sr., said, “We have no comment.”
Patton said in an affidavit that police had caught a man shoplifting items from Home Depot stores in Boardman, Austintown, Salem, Niles and Hermitage, Pa., several times in March and April.
The man primarily was shoplifting DeWalt hammer drills and other tools totaling more than $3,500 in retail value, according to records.
In May, a detective in Boardman’s narcotics division received information that this particular shoplifter was selling stolen goods to the Open Hearth Bar.
Shortly after that, Home Depot provided Boardman police with tools that still had security tags on them, according to records.
An informant was sent to sell the merchandise, and a bar employee purchased it, reports state. The employee then placed an order for an angle grinder, and the informant returned later with the item, again provided by Home Depot, and was paid for it, documents show.
The employee placed another order for a Dyson vacuum cleaner, and then the employee asked another bar employee if he needed anything, and he also placed an order for a workshop vacuum cleaner, according to police.
Based on this information, a search warrant was issued. The August raid of the Open Hearth turned up dozens of power tools, more than 35 packs of brand-name razors, food-assistance benefits cards, several pairs of new shoes and more than 30 bottles of nonprescription pain relievers — among many other items, court documents state.
The bar employee’s Canfield house also was raided the same day, and five marijuana plants, a marijuana grow kit and several tools were confiscated as evidence, according to reports.
“We’re putting together values of the property and waiting for test results on the evidence,” Patton said this week.
Once those tasks are completed, the evidence will be taken to the prosecutor’s office and the prosecutor will determine what charges to file against whom, Patton said.