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3 Charged In Model-Home Burglaries
Police: Decorator Store Was Front For Stolen Goods
POSTED: 7:28 pm CST February 17,
2006
UPDATED: 10:20 pm CST February 17,
2006
RIVERSIDE, Mo. -- Three people have been charged in connection with a stolen-property ring, KMBC reported.Police said the suspects targeted model homes loaded with furnishings and, in at least one case, a house whose occupants were away at a funeral.Friday, officers conducted a raid at The Decorator's House on Northwest Vivion Road, a store police said was a front for stolen property.
"We consider probably a majority of the items to be stolen," said Capt. Frank Hunter, with the Platte County Sheriff's Department. "People who were coming here would have no idea they were buying stolen merchandise."Two men and one woman were charged in the case. Dane Johnson was charged with two counts of first-degree burglary and three counts of second-degree burglary.Landon Prothro was charged with one count of first-degree burglary and three counts of second-degree burglary.Police said the two men led them to Stephanie Riddle, who was charged with one count of receiving stolen goods. Riddle operated the store and is the fiancee of Johnson, police said.Hunter said the men would also cruise neighborhoods, targeting homes where mail was stacked up.KMBC reported that police also raided two storage lockers in south Kansas City and a utility trailer at a private home in Johnson County, Mo.KMBC's Chris Nagus reported that a group of theft victims were at the store Friday night hoping to reclaim some of their missing items."We're really excited ... Pretty much our whole model home was wiped out," theft victim Melissa Buck said.Investigators ask that anyone who shopped at The Decorator's House to contact police.
Previous Stories:
- December 30, 2005: Builders Hope To Stop Thefts From Model Homes
- December 12, 2005: Thieves Target Model Homes
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