A 21-year-old former Cooperstown, NY parking enforcement officer has been charged with stealing more than $56,000 worth of cards from a local hobby shop.
Ian Robert Turner, of Burlington Flats, NY, is facing second degree grand larceny charges after turning himself in to police on Monday according to Otsego County District Attorney John M. Muehl.
WBNG in Binghamton, WKTV in Utica and AllOtsego.com reported the investigation began four weeks ago. Muehl says Turner was caught stealing from Paterno Brothers Sports by officers conducting surveillance after the store noticed items were missing and suspected Turner might be the thief.
Investigators say they found Turner in possession of stolen goods when they interviewed him and also located over 250 additional stolen sports cards he stole and then sold to another local shop.
Investigators say another card, valued at $500, that had been stolen and then sold to a private collector earlier in the summer, was recovered. DA investigators and CPD officers say they “also searched Turner’s Burlington Flats residence and recovered another 15 stolen cards.”
A total of approximately $8,500 worth of the more than $56,000 in stolen cards was recovered during the investigation.
Turner was arraigned and ordered to reappear on November 18 in the Otsego Town Court. If convinced, he could face up to 15 years in state prison and a maximum $5,000 fine.
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