A Missouri man has been arrested in Boone County for burglary and theft of property after evidence linking him from a similar crime in Missouri is discovered.
According to the probable cause affidavit, in August, the Boone County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report someone had made entry into the Junk-Shun Barn Merchandise Store by removing a section of the back exterior wall. Law enforcement observed a piece of the metal exterior side had been bent, a portion of the exterior wall insulation dug out and forced to break away the interior wall board covering, leaving a two-foot by two-foot hole.
Through the use of the store’s CCTV footage, the suspect was observed to disconnect a ceiling mounted camera located at the center of the first floor of the store. They then broke into two glass showcases and took several collectible coins, currency bills, silver certificates, silver bars, and other collectible items with an estimated total value of $10,000. The footage from both the store and surrounding businesses, however, were unable to identify the suspect.
DNA evidence was recovered from the scene and sent to the Arkansas State Crime laboratory and identified three local persons of interest. Interviews by the investigator ruled out all three through confirmed alibis and additional DNA samples for examination.
On September 15, investigators received a call from the Missouri Sheriff’s Office stating that 49-year-old Thomas Andrew Kazimir had been arrested and charged with burglarizing an antique store in Columbia, MO. A piece of paper had been recovered with a diagram of a building and the words “Junk-Shun Barn.” At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of multiple items reported stolen from the store.
Incident reports obtained revealed Kazimir made entry into the Missouri antique mall the same way he did at the Junk-Shun Barn. He pled guilty to the local charges in Missouri, was released from custody, and was placed on probation.
Kazimir is currently being held in the Boone County Detention Center on $25,000 bond.
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