Published: Thursday, January 07, 2016 @ 4:23 AM

Updated: Monday, January 11, 2016 @ 6:49 PM



— UPDATE @ 2:16 p.m. (Jan. 11): The Clark County Sheriff’s Office has released surveillance video from the break-in at Fox Shooting Loft on Jan. 7.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 937-328-2565.

UPDATE @ 12:43 p.m. (Jan. 8):

A reward of up to $15,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the theft of 17 handguns from Fox Shooting Loft on Wednesday.

According to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the sheriff’s office and the National Shooting Sports Foundation are each offering a reward of up to $5,000.

Investigators said an individual wearing a mask backed a stolen vehicle at a high speed through the front entrance of the store, 8300 Dayton-Springfield Road, before stealing the firearms.

Anyone with information should contact the ATF, 1-800-283-4867, or the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, 937-328-2565.

All tips will be kept confidential, according to officials.

FIRST REPORT

A break-in at a western Clark County gun store early Wednesday has concerned law enforcement and residents the 17 stolen weapons could end up in the wrong hands on the streets.

“These are the type of weapons that will quickly be sold or traded on the streets in the Miami Valley,” Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly said.

No arrests have been made in the case and none of the stolen weapons recovered, investigators said.

The person behind the crime planned his heist, Kelly said, and the sophistication of the crime indicates the suspect might have done this before.

The crime began in Springfield just before 3 a.m. at the Muffler Warehouse, 1111 N. Belmont Ave., where a man broke into the business and stole keys to a red Ford pickup truck parked outside for repairs.

The culprit then drove the truck across the county to the Fox Shooting Loft, 8300 Dayton Springfield Road, outside of Enon. The driver smashed the truck through the front glass doors of the business and into a glass display case.

Surveillance video at the gun shop shows the thief, who appears to be a white man acting alone, Kelly said.

The man pulled a duffle bag from the truck and loaded 17 handguns from the store into the bag. The guns included 9 mm, .40, .45 and .380 caliber handguns, Kelly said, which can easily be sold for double or quadruple their value on the streets or traded for drugs.

“They will go to individuals most likely who cannot buy them legally — people with criminal histories, people who will use them for violence,” the sheriff said.

The thief drove away from the crime scene in the stolen truck, which was found abandoned on Haddix Road less than a mile from the Fox Shooting Loft, investigators said.

A K-9 officer was called to the scene to try to trace the thief, but no leads were found.

People who live and work near the crime scene also said the stolen guns are worrisome to think about.

“It’s a very frightening feeling when those kinds of guns are out there,” said Dianne Fox, who works just down the road from the gun store.

“People can get them illegally — not being scanned or interviewed or with proper documentation to know that they have the right to own a gun,” she said.

Detectives are asking anyone who might have information about the theft to call them at 937-521-2050.

“We need their help and support to get these individuals and keep these gun from reaching the streets,” Kelly said.