'It's heartbreaking': Twin Lakes business robbed of more than $300K worth of merchandise
TWIN LAKES, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A Twin Lakes business is out of hundreds of thousands of dollars after hundreds of their collectible items were stolen overnight Monday, Aug. 10.
“Watching the footage was like, this is not real, you know," said Eric Khabbaz, the owner of Goldenrod City Collectibles. "I just didn’t think it was until I got here, witnessed it and saw the numbers adding up. It's heartbreaking.”
Khabbaz, who has owned the shop for nearly a year, says everything changed when he walked into his storefront on Lake Avenue Monday.
“We’ve done inventory and we’re looking at a little over $300,000 worth of product,” said Khabbaz.
Khabbaz says he was in disbelief as he watched the security video showing four people filling their bags with hundreds of collectible items.
“One guy came in through the window, he opened the door, and three other guys came through the door. So, it was all four guys in here and you know, I dumped our trashcan out," said Khabbaz. "They had all their own bags, you know, that they brought in and they just started dumping {expletive} in the bags, and like 10 trips out of the car they have -- they were here for about six to seven minutes total.”
The Twin Lakes Police Department says the robbery happened around 2 a.m. Monday. Police say they are actively looking for the suspects involved, with a white Chrysler Pacifica and a newer-model white four-door BMW vehicles of interest.
Khabbaz says the store has become a hub where collectors from across the state and nation stop in.
"I’ve been doing this for five years. It kind of changed my life in the better, and then coming in and seeing this sucks. So, we’ve got to not rebuild from scratch, thankfully," said Khabbaz.
He says he says around 90% of the items stolen were Pokémon related and suspects the burglary was premeditated.
He says the store has insurance, and he's hoping most of it will be covered, but many of the items are rare or irreplaceable. Moving forward, he wants to see the people involved held accountable.
"We love Pokémon and we’re going to keep doing it," said Khabbaz. "We’re not going to stop. It's a very big roadblock, but we are just going to keep going.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Twin Lakes Police Department at 262-877-9056.