Tip leads police to carnival ride stolen from Moraine business as search for thief continues

MORAINE — Moraine police were able to track down a carnival ride a guy stole from the Mandalay Banquet Center on Sunday.

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Matt McConnell owns the banquet center and he told News Center 7′s Molly Koweek his company hosted an event Saturday and then on Sunday, surveillance video caught someone stealing a 16-foot ride.

The same truck came back early Monday morning and tried taking golf carts, until giving up, and stole the Mandalay’s $4,000 Toro lawn mower.

“Anything that gets stolen from our property, we feel kind of responsible for, even if it’s not ours,” McConnell said.

Now, he is relieved because Moraine Police say Dayton Police tracked down the ride in parking lot on the corner of Xenia Avenue and Bowen Street.

“I was very excited,” McConnell said.

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A tip led investigators to the ride, according to Moraine Police Sergeant Andrew Parish.

“Had been covered with some tarps, trying to conceal it,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot over the course of 20-plus years, and people will steal anything.”

Moraine police are not just searching for the thief, they are also looking into two other theft reports from Monday.

One from Watson’s on Dryden Road where Parish said two box trucks went missing and another at Orbit where somebody broke into multiple vehicles.

Parish said the two robberies could be connected.

“The MOs that were involved were the same,” he added. “They’re getting into commercial vehicles, stealing property, and trying to steal vehicles themselves.”

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Parish said his department has person on interest for these two cases but are still trying to identify who stole the mower and carnival ride.

Koweek spoke with the ride’s owner over the phone and he told her the ride is worth around $60,000 and he is excited to have it back.

The owner says there are only three in the country.

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