Police: TVs Part of Big Theft Ring

"Hey, anybody interested in buying a trailer?"

Somebody was. Big-screen TVs, riding mowers, motorcycles, frozen food and more exchanged hands in what authorities charge was a sophisticated theft-to-order ring in the Rust Belt region stretching from Cleveland to western Pennsylvania.

Police said the thieves, seeking quick cash for drugs, stole and sold high-demand items for more than 1 1/2 years, often at up to 85 percent discount from retail prices and sometimes to return customers.

"You don't steal these things unless you have a customer," said Canfield police Detective Sgt. Andy Bodzak.

The 15 suspects were named in a 68-count grand jury indictment that includes charges of racketeering, breaking and entering and receiving stolen property. A racketeering conviction can mean eight years in prison. Bonds of up to $50,000 were set at arraignments Tuesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

"They were brute force more than anything as fast as they could get in, as fast as they could get out," Rob Gollans, 38, said of the thieves who hit the motorcycle shop he manages.

After the burglary Jan. 10, 2006, he arrived to find the security fence driven over, the garage door yanked off and the forklift boom through the roof. The business lost 10 motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles valued at $22,000.

"They'd find something they thought they could get in and out quickly and they just did it. They didn't think much," Gollans said.

In all, about $400,000 worth of stolen goods has been recovered, and police are receiving an average of two calls daily from people who want to surrender suspected stolen items. Police said they had no estimate on the overall take from the more than 125 burglaries.