RICHMOND — A Richmond man’s gamble did not pay off Tuesday. 

Bruce W. Flannery, 40, faces charges after allegedly trying to cash in lottery tickets that were looted from a gas station.

Police say he took four winning tickets to the Redi Mart on Big Hill Avenue, where an alert clerk realized the tickets were stolen in the Oct. 29 burglary of the Gulf station in Richmond, said Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock.

In addition to two packs of lottery tickets, the burglar made away with 25 cartons of cigarettes and an undisclosed amount of cash. The total loss to the business was about $1,700, the chief said.

Entry was made into the station on the Eastern Bypass through an existing hole in the building, Brock said.

After officers confirmed the tickets were from the two stolen packs, they cited Flannery for receiving stolen property, Brock said. He was not arrested, but will have to appear in court on the charges.

Police-impounded car taken      from towing company’s lot

A car impounded by Richmond Police reportedly was stolen Tuesday night.

The car, a tan or gold 1999 Chevrolet Prizm, was taken out of the lot of Barger’s Wrecker Service on N. Porter Drive, Brock said.

It was towed by Barger’s in October after officers cited the operator for driving without a license and not having insurance, Brock said.

The Prizm, bearing KY license plate 524-KTJ, is valued at about $1,500, the chief said.

Copper thieves hit home,           AT&T tower

Two copper thefts were reported to the Richmond Police Department in the past few days, the first resulting in a more than $800 loss to the owner of a home and the second causing damage to a cell phone tower.

The first theft, reported Saturday, was out of a vacant home in the 500 block of E. Irvine Street, Brock said.

The owner reported the exterior air conditioning unit and seven aluminum gutter downspouts were taken. 

Also, the copper wiring inside the heating unit which was located in the crawl space had been stripped and approximately 30 to 40 feet of copper pipe had been cut and removed from the crawl space, Brock said. 

The second incident, reported Sunday, involved the attempted theft of copper from an AT&T Mobility tower.

The tower reportedly was damaged last weekend when the would-be thief cut several wires at its base.

The thief was unable to make off with any of the copper from the tower, which is in the 1900 block of Irvine Road, Brock said.

Police: Thieves strike car lot       vehicles, hone in on GPS units

The navigational systems of three cars at a Richmond car lot are missing after a Friday-night break-in, a representative of the lot reported Saturday.

The windows of three vehicles belonging to Jack Burford Chevrolet were smashed, and the GPS units were then removed, Brock said.

The three vehicles broken into were a 2011 Chevrolet Suburban and two 2011 Chevrolet Tahoes, the chief said.

The estimated value of the GPS units is $7,500, and the estimated damage to the vehicle’s windows is $3,000, he said.

Man reports $7,000 Rolex stolen, finds it at mother’s house

A man shopping at Walmart on Monday told police that he left his $7,000 Rolex watch in the store’s restroom and, when he returned to retrieve it, it was gone.

Two days later, he reported that he had found the watch at his mother’s home.

In other crimes:

• A resident in the 1200 block of Parkview Drive reported Oct. 27 that his residence had been broken into Oct. 26 and a number of items were stolen. Entry was gained by breaking a rear door window, Brock said. The following items were reported missing: numerous items of ladies’ costume jewelry, a Longaberger basket containing approximately $100 in quarters, and a green money bag containing the residents’ passports and birth certificates. The estimated loss is $540, Brock said.

• A resident in the 400 block of Turpin Drive reported Sunday that a laptop and $90 in cash were stolen from her apartment. There were no signs of forced entry, Brock said. The total estimated loss is $390.

• A resident in the 500 block of E. Irvine Street reported Sunday that an Emerson 42-inch television, a PlayStation with a controller and one game, and three DVDs were taken out of her apartment. Officers believe the thief entered the residence through a rear window, Brock said. The total estimated loss is $1,050.

• The owner of a rental property in the 100 block of N. Robbins Court reported Oct. 23 that a garage to the rear of the residence had been broken into sometime during the past two weeks. Entry was gained by removing a clasp on the door, Brock said. A Husqvarna 21-inch lawn mower and a large orange and yellow appliance dolly, total value of $1,200, were stolen. 

• Also on Oct. 23, a resident of an apartment in the 400 block of Turpin Drive reported that a stereo, baby stroller and suitcase full of baseball and NASCAR trading cards were stolen from her apartment after someone entered by smashing a back bedroom window.

The total loss is about $200, the chief said.

• A complainant reported Oct. 26 that several items were stolen from his vehicle while it was parked behind the Paddy Wagon that afternoon. There were no signs of forced entry into the vehicle, Brock said.

The following items were reported missing: a Research Methods and Statistics college textbook, a Human Neuro-psychology college textbook, a Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King book, a gray backpack, and a white Apple headphone set. The total estimated loss is $240, Brock said.

• A visitor to the 100 block of Noah Lane reported Saturday that two pistols and a Chase debit card were swiped from his parked vehicle sometime Friday night.

There were no signs of forced entry, the chief said.

The Taurus .45 caliber and Hi-Point .380 caliber pistols were valued at $550, Brock said.

Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to call the Richmond Police Department at 623-1162.

Kelly McKinney can be reached at 624-6694 or kmckinney@richmondregister.com.