Every business that has sellable property on the premises is at risk of property and theft crimes, especially after hours when there are few or no staff members on site to protect the items. That is certainly true for pawn shops, which base their business on accumulating items that can be resold at a profit. Recently, two Houston residents were accused of being responsible for burglaries at multiple pawn stores in Texas.
According to authorities, two masked men held up one pawn shop and smashed a glass case with jewelry in it, grabbing and taking all that they could. Other pawn shops in Texas were also robbed in quick succession, and authorities believe that all of the robberies are connected and were probably committed by the same two men.
Those men took a fortune in items from the pawn shops. The value of the jewelry they took totaled over $50,000 and included 105 gold and silver rings. Small items like those that are easy to steal and easy to resell are popular with many thieves.
Police have suggested that thieves from Houston may have believed that they could rob pawn shops in other parts of Texas without being recognized. At the time of the robberies, the thieves wore hoodies, plus bandanas across their faces. The combination was undoubtedly intended to make it hard for witnesses to provide descriptions or identify the thieves.
Police say that thieves have traveled from Houston to other parts of Texas to commit other crimes in the past, like breaking into cars. Houston authorities were contacted about those crimes, as well as about the recent burglaries of pawn shops, in the hopes of identifying the thieves.
Of course, those accused of thefts are entitled to defend themselves. With the right representation, they can make the case for their innocence.