By ROBERT A. CRONKLETON
Apr. 19, 2007
Kirk Bryan, president of Shiloh Rifle Manufacturing Co. of Big Timber, Mont., said Wednesday in a telephone interview that he discovered Tuesday morning that his pickup truck and everything inside was missing.
He had stopped the night before at the Hampton Inn near the Kansas Speedway. He said he regularly stays there when he goes through the Kansas City area so he can visit the nearby Cabela’s.
The thief or thieves took the company’s burgundy 2006 Ford F-350 with Montana license plates along with 13 1874 Sharps rifles valued at $70,000 and a handgun, according to a police report.
Bryan said the rifles are replicas of black powder single shot rifles — the type used by buffalo hunters.
None of the rifles had firing pins, he said.
“So it is not going to do anyone a lot of good” until they contact the company for the part, Bryan said.
The thieves also took cash and credit card numbers of customers from the weekend’s show as well as a custom-built booth and display, Bryan said.
“When smoke clears, they took $220,000 worth of pickup,” Bryan said. “It still makes me sick to my stomach.”
He said the theft of the credit cards is his biggest worry.
In a posting on the company’s Web site, the company asked people who placed orders at the show and provided credit cards or checks for a deposit to contact the company. The company advised customers to cancel their credit card numbers as soon as possible.
The company also asked people to be on the lookout for any rifles that might surface.
Bryan said his truck is pretty distinctive — it is burgundy with a silver bottom. It is also a crew-cab Ford F-350 with a diesel engine.
The theft occurred sometime between 7:30 p.m. Monday and 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. Police had no suspect information to release, according to Officer Elaine Moore, a police spokeswoman. She encouraged anyone with information about the theft to call police at (913) 573-6020 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS (474-8477).
“I would just like to have it all back,” Bryan said.