Copyright fox2now
WARRENTON, Mo. - Tina Hopkins, the owner of Mimi’s Antiques in Warrenton, hoped a recent social media post sharing security camera images of an alleged theft would lead to the return of SpongeBob trading cards. The Facebook message promised there would be no police involved if the cards were returned. Hopkins and vendor Terri Clarno allege the collectibles were pocketed by a man recorded on surveillance cameras on Saturday. “You just can’t go around taking stuff from businesses and people,” Hopkins said. “It’s wrong.” The message went unanswered, so Hopkins moved forward with filing a police report. “If it’s here at the antique mall, or if it’s at Walmart, it doesn’t matter,” Hopkins said. “Stealing is wrong.” She said her business experienced two previous thefts in the past year and a half. Hopkins took to social media in both of those cases, promising not to involve police and remove the security camera images if the items were returned. She said in both cases, the items were returned. Clarno said in this most recent incident, the man recorded on surveillance cameras appeared to be old enough to be a grandfather. “I think we were just kind of shocked that somebody of that age in life would do something like that,” Clarno said. Clarno is also surprised because security cameras are in plain view throughout the store. “People need to understand that you’re going to get caught,” Hopkins said. “Most of the time, you’re going to get caught.”
