VALLEY PARK, Mo. – A stunning crime spree at a local storage facility throughout several units were broken into overnight Wednesday. Renters have lost expensive items and personal belongings.
Around 20 units were broken into, leaving some musicians and renters scrambling to recover what was stolen.
Don Lash, a renter at Storage Rentals of America, says his band “Retro Lovers” lost a prized American-made electric guitar worth $1,500. The band, known for covering 60s and 70s hits at festivals like Oktoberfest, had been using the unit for rehearsals for two years.
Lash says the thieves muscled their way into the main building, pried open locker doors, and left their PA sound speaker in the hallway before getting away with the guitar.
“I was very surprised we had that problem here,” he said.
Lash stated he has at least $20,000 of equipment in his unit. While the facility has video surveillance and a keypad entry system, he believes it happened quickly, possibly with a crowbar.
“I’m heartbroken. I feel violated. Like anyone would in this circumstance, and I feel for the other tenants here for their loss of personal property,” Lash added. “This is kind of a rare incident, and I believe they are going to beef (security) up even more in order to prevent it in the future.”
We requested a comment from Storage Rentals of America—so far, we’re still waiting for a response. St. Louis County Police say they expect new information from their investigators on Friday.
Despite the break-in, Don Lash and his band plan to continue renting their unit.