Ky. Burglary Uses Trash Cans To Haul Cigarette Cartons

ST. MATTHEWS, Ky. --

Police say a burglar was caught on tape using just a sledghammer and two trash cans to rob a Louisville smoke shop.

St. Matthews police said the burglar broke into the Cox's Smoker's Outlet on Hubbards Lane on Sunday night. They said it's not the first time he's smashed and grabbed at a local smoke shop, but they're working to make sure it's the last time.

"He smashed in the window using a sledgehammer, came in with two trash cans, went directly to the cigarette aisle, went to the Marlboro section, filled up two trash cans of Marlboro cigarettes cartons," said Harvey Hunt, a detective with the St. Matthews Police Department.

Security cameras captured the suspect loading up on cigarette cartons behind the counter, and then pulling two trash cans full of Marlboros out the door. At about $60 per carton, that's a lot of loot. But the suspect wasn't done.

"He walked back inside, went to a display that was on the counter of Zippo lighters, picked up the whole display and exited the store," Hunt said.

Security cameras also caught a glimpse of the getaway car, which police said is a dark-colored Toyota pickup truck with a white striped decal running from the front of the car to the rear. They said it's the same car captured on video in at least two other smoke shop burglaries in the Louisville area in the last two weeks.

Hunt said St. Matthews police detectives are working with the LMPD to locate the suspect, who is described as a white male with a heavy build and brown hair.

"We're basically just now getting ahold of it. We're going to try to track down the vehicle," Hunt said.

As for the sledgehammer, police said that's not usually a burglar's entry method of choice.

"There's all kinds of pieces of equipment -- usually tire tools, bricks, that kind of thing. The sledgehammer has kind of been the unusual thing here that in the rash of burglaries that we've had, we haven't seen it in a while," Hunt said.

Hunt said police had a similar string of smoke shop break-ins, with a similar entry method used, about five years ago. They arrested a suspect in those cases, and are working to see if he's connected to this more recent run of burglaries.

If you have any information, please call St. Matthews police at 893-9000.

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