OKC Business Owners Catch Antiques, Coin Thief On Surveillance

Oklahoma City police are looking for a man who took more than $50,000 worth of antiques from one Oklahoma business – and an antique coin from another.

But fortunately one of those antique dealers had modern technology on their side, and caught him on tape.

The owners of the Apple Barrel Antique Mall say the suspect hit them first, sometime in December. The owners say it looks like he rammed a truck into their back garage and then crawled his way through, and took what he could.

2/11/2014 Related Story: Suspect Wanted For Stealing Antique Coin From OKC Business

Marcus Switzer showed us some of the items the suspect managed to take from his store. Some of these antiques date back to the early 1800s and 1900s.

"What they took was between $40,000 and $50,000 worth of merchandise," said Switzer. "And we have probably recovered about $3,000 worth of merchandise, but they did a lot of damage to what we recovered."

Some of the items ended up at the Gold and Coin Exchange on North May Ave. First the suspect rang the bell - not knowing that the outside security camera got a good shot of him as he was bringing in the totes.

Turns out the suspect also took an antique coin worth about $300 dollars out of a plastic folder there. Fortunately, the store's inside surveillance camera caught him in the act.

You can see him in the video as he flips over the folder, puts the folder back and slips the coin under his sleeve. And in the background you can also see some of the totes taken from the antique mall.

"I would just like to see the guy caught," said Connie Holmes, the co-owner of the Apple Barrel Antique Mall. "So he doesn't keep doing it and do it to somebody else."

Connie and Marcus are just glad they got some of their precious antiques and pictures back. But they don't expect to recover any more. And they think this suspect hit their building more than once.

"Yes definitely," said Holmes. "He was in this building several times."

The owners of the Apple Barrel Antique Mall say their store is closed down. They have boarded up their back garage and taken other measures to secure their building.

They're just hoping the person or persons responsible are caught. And if you recognize that man or know who he is, you are urged to call OKC Crime Stoppers at (405) 235-7300.