Theft In Midwest LGS Locations Happening In Broad Daylight

A string of brazen thefts has affected many local gaming stores in the Midwestern United States. A band of three individuals have allegedly stolen trading cards of many types during store hours. According to these stores, they have targeted stores in Indiana, Illinois, and perhaps also in Michigan. Thankfully, the theft spree has not gone unnoticed, and the affected stores are making their voices heard.

First, according to a Facebook post by Reliquary Gaming, located in Chesterton, Indiana, the store owners had this to say after being robbed on November 29th:

As some of you may or may not know, last Wednesday (11/29) evening around 6 PM we had 3 individuals come in that we had not recognized before. Nothing too out of the ordinary, as we grow we see new faces daily. They came in to look at our Magic: The Gathering binders and honestly, we didn't think much of it. However, we noticed that later that night one of our more expensive binders was missing. We did our due diligence to ask our regulars if they had seen it, to no avail. We then began our search through our cameras to see if we could track it down. We did... One of these three individuals helped to distract the person behind the counter while another made sure to block [one store owner] Kristy's view as she was doing computer work at a table. The third then slid our binder into his backpack and they went about their day leaving shortly after.

Now, as many of our regular customers know, Kristy has been working tirelessly to find and take trades, scan and sort cards, and fill our binders with singles. The binder that was stolen was the binder ranging in the $10-$20 valued cards and was very full. Needless to say, this is a major hit for us.

There is one silver lining and that is we have all of them on camera and are talking with other local game stores and the police to find them. There is currently an active investigation with the Chesterton Police Department and we need your help. Please! If you recognize these 3 individuals, let Brandon, Kristy, or Megan [the store owners] know and/or contact the Chesterton Police Department!

On December 1st, these same three individuals allegedly stole from another game store. In Savoy, Illinois, the thieves allegedly stole graded baseball cards and Pokémon cards from Champaign Sports Cards. The store had this to say on their Instagram post about the theft:

Attention!! Be on the lookout for these individuals. They came into the shop today and decided to steal some cards. They have already have been identified and have open police cases in Michigan for stealing at other shops. They were able to get away with the cards pictured above, and a handful of Pokémon slabs. If anyone sees these individuals please report them to the police.

The alleged thieves are going across state lines in a black pickup truck with an RV attached (shown below) to steal cards from local stores. One December 4th, the Chesterton Police Department released a statement on Facebook asking people with information to call or privately message them. If you have any pertinent information about these robberies, you can call the Chesterton Police Department at (219) 926-1136.

CPD seeking to identify three individuals in connection with theft from Reliquary Gaming

The Chesterton Police Department is seeking to identify three individuals in connection with a theft from Reliquary Gaming on Wednesday, Nov. 29.

According to the CPD, at approximately 6 p.m. three persons entered Reliquary Gaming, 1585 S. Calumet Road, and asked to see a binder containing Magic: The Gathering collectible playing cards. After viewing it, the three exited the business and the owner "thought nothing of the interaction" until the next day, Thursday, Nov. 30, when an employee went to retrieve the binder in question and was unable to locate it, the CPD said.

The owner "then reviewed the store camera footage and discovered one of the males in the group had placed the store binder in his backpack and left the store," the CPD said.

Naturally, we will update you with any developments in this ongoing story. We hope that these game stores find the resolutions that they seek and that the theft spree can come to an end.