KANNAPOLIS, N.C. -- In April, Kannapolis police busted the largest commercial burglary ring ever seen in the Charlotte area. Officers showed off more than $1 million worth of stolen items--1,270 items in all.
Barefoot Archery was one of the stores hit.
"It cleared the walls out. There was nothing in here that Monday morning. They wiped the store out," said Jessie Smith, the owner.
Court documents released Wednesday at the Mecklenburg County courthouse revealed some of the mistakes the suspects made that led investigators to them.
Police said Daniel Reyes was the man behind the group. They believe he worked with several accomplices.
The search warrant stated that Joselito Montanez rented a truck from U-Haul, which might have been used to steal $100,000 worth of high-end sound equipment from SE Systems on Freedom Drive in Charlotte.
A day before the break-in, the manager showed a man named Jose Mantana around the store. According to the warrant, Mantana left his contact information and it matched Montanez.
Last December there was a break-in at the Safe Guard Shoe Company on Westinghouse Boulevard. One of the responding officers found a driver's license on the ground near the roll up door to the business.
A few months later, Greensboro police caught some men in the middle of a commercial burglary. They ran, but left behind a citation in their getaway truck. According to the warrant, the name of the citation matched the license found in Charlotte.
Police said since April they have been able to locate the owners of about 40 percent of the merchandise. They don’t know who the rest belongs to. Eventually, they will have to auction it.
Kannapolis investigators are encouraging any business owners who think they might have a claim to contact them.
"I'm glad they caught somebody. I’m glad we got our trophies back, but as far as merchandise back, very little compared to what they took from us that day," said Smith.
