Theft from "Freak Toyz:" Out on bond, man accused of stealing Star Wars figurines, re-selling them
SHEBOYGAN COUNTY (WITI) -- A 32-year-old Sheboygan Falls man has been criminally charged, accused of stealing action figures from "Freak Toyz" on North 8th Street in Sheboygan and then re-selling them.
Ian Ryan faces a felony charge of retail theft (intentionally taking more than $500 to $5,000) and felony bail jumping.
In December of 2014, a Sheboygan police officer was dispatched to the Freak Toyz store -- making contact with an employee who stated that a male and a female, along with two small children had come into the store -- bringing in some action figures and other items they were looking to sell to the store. The employee advised she spoke with the man and they struck a deal. The store requires an ID for any items sold to the store, and the man said he didn't have an ID, but the woman did, and the transaction was complete.
About 45 minutes later, the employee says the man and woman came back to the store with several video games and DVDs. The employee again struck a deal with the man, and she says shortly thereafter, the man began walking around the store -- looking at the items for sale. Then, the two children came into the store from the vehicle outside -- saying they were bored and they wanted to go. The woman exited the store with the children, while the man stayed inside, hovering near one of the display cases in the front of the store. The store became busy, and the store's employee says she got distracted helping a customer. That's when she says the man grabbed six of the figurines that were on the display case and exited the store.
The store's employee was able to get a partial license plate as the man, woman and two children took off in their vehicle.
Police learned the correct, full license plate number, and got the name of the woman the vehicle was registered to. Police used a database to take a look at the woman's contacts, and they learned that Ian Ryan was one of those contacts. His description matched the description provided by the store employee as to the theft suspect. The store employee positively identified Ryan as the suspect via a photo lineup.
Police spoke with the store employee's father, who owns the store. He was able to provide a list and value of the stolen items:
The grand total of items stolen from Freak Toyz was reported to be $790.
In late December 2014, a Sheboygan police officer utilized a database that businesses use to log and document the buying and selling of items from jewelry stores and pawn shops -- searching for any transactions involving Ian Ryan. Two transactions were found -- on one December 17th at American Antiques and Jewelry in Green Bay, which involved the sale of five Star Wars figurines, and one on December 19th at the same Green Bay store. That sale involves one Star Wars figurine.
The owner of American Antiques and Jewelry told police he gave Ryan $275 for the figurines.
The figurines sold to American Antiques and Jewelry were determined to belong to Freak Toyz. The Sheboygan and Green Bay Police Departments teamed up to retrieve the stolen figurines and return them to Freak Toyz.
Police made contact with Ian Ryan and he denied being anywhere near Sheboygan on the day of the Freak Toyz theft -- saying he was living in Green Bay.
The complaint indicates at the time of this alleged crime, Ian Ryan was out on $5,000 cash bond in a case in which he is charged with possession of narcotic drugs.