KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City police found another $250,000 in stolen property from storage units earlier this week in what they call an “enormous” and “elaborate” scheme.
Police arrested a suspect last week who, after ransacking the units, had allegedly covered up the thefts by replacing the locks he had cut with new ones. The suspect was arrested when an employee at the Public Storage facility at 66th and Troost called police to report suspicious activity.
The suspect, Edward Ewell, 40, had been under investigation since 2015 for fraud and storage locker thefts. He was seen sleeping in his car outside the storage facility before driving to Harrah’s Casino in North Kansas City, where he was arrested. He has been charged with burglary of a structure, theft and identity theft in Johnson County.
Initially, police found about $100,000 in stolen items after the arrest. On Monday, officers announced they had found an additional $250,000 in items including many electronics, sports gear, furniture and antiques.
Roughly a dozen victims of these thefts have been identified by authorities. Police say the crimes have primarily taken place in Overland Park, Lenexa and Kansas City.
Those who had property stolen are encouraged to file a report with the Kansas City Police Department. Once they do so and receive a case number, victims should email metropropertycrimes@kcpd.org with a list of stolen items.
