Ticket booth heist nets robber more than $1,700
Police are looking for the person who stole more than $1,700 from a ticket booth at the St. Raphael’s Church Fall Festival on Nov. 14.
Fall Festival chairman Mike Wheeler said the heist of the money for admittance into the amusements has really disappointed church members. He said members of the church and friends have begun to send in donations to make up the loss.
He said the money stolen amounted to somewhere between $1,700 and $1,800.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Cpl. Steven Cart was working an extra duty detail at St. Raphael’s Church when shortly after 6:30 p.m., he was notified of the theft from the carnival ticket booth.
The victim, who was not identified by the Sheriff’s Office, was selling tickets for the rides at the carnival when a white man knocked on the door of the ticket booth and said he was sent there to pick up the money pouch.
The victim said the person told her he was sent by a woman who serves on the Fall Festival Committee and stated her name.
The victim told investigators that the woman named “Irene” was a director of the carnival and was the main person to check with on everything happening at the festival. Irene Wheeler is the wife of the Fall Festival chairman, Mike Wheeler.
Investigators said the woman said she asked the young man if he was sure that “Irene” had sent him to get the money and he answered that she had sent him. She told authorities that she gave the money pouch to the man.
Afterwards she started thinking that maybe she should have checked with “Irene” to see if she had sent anyone to pick up the money pouch. When she contacted Wheeler, she was told that she did not send anyone to pick up the booth money, according to the Sheriff’s report.
The thief was described as a white male, approximately six feet tall with short light brown hair and was maybe 19 to 20 years old. She said he had was clean shaven and was wearing baggy dark jeans, a gray sweater with a blue hood and white undershirt.
No arrests had been made by mid week. If you have any information about this robbery, you are urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS and remain anonymous. If your information brings about an arrest and/or conviction, you will be rewarded by the Crime Stoppers group.