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Burglars stole $5,800 in specialized equipment from Ink Heaven days before its grand opening.
By MATTHEW WAITE
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 30, 2000
HUDSON -- Whoever it was, they didn't take the cash register. Or the TV and VCR nearby. Or the mini-disc player and a pair of huge speakers by the door.
What thieves did take from Ink Heaven early Sunday morning can hardly be called standard fare for typical burglars: tattooing machines, 150 needles, ink and and nearly $4,000 worth of ornate body jewelry.
"They only stole weird stuff," owner Crystal Oreto said Monday. "They stole enough stuff to go home and start tattooing."
Oreto's tattooing and body piercing business at 15215 U.S. 19 had been open since February, although this weekend was supposed to be the grand opening. They have been doing tattoos and piercings from the start, but now they were selling clothes, too.
To bring people into the store, Oreto and her boyfriend and co-owner, Frank Narcisi, offered free piercings to anyone making a $20 donation to a Pasco charity.
Everything was fine until after 5 a.m. Sunday morning.
Then, according to Oreto and a Pasco County sheriff's report, the burglars threw a concrete block through the glass front door. With the alarms blaring, the burglars turned the lights on, and started stealing items.
All said, they took more than $5,800 worth of items and did much more in damage.
When Oreto got to her store around 6:30 a.m., sheriff's deputies were already there, she saw glass from the shattered door and from the showcases that had been busted up.
"I just started screaming," she said of seeing her dream in shambles.
Oreto said friends and family set about cleaning up, filling three buckets with glass. They have enough equipment to continue working, but no money to replace what they lost and no insurance.
"We had an appointment to get it on Wednesday," she said.
Oreto believes her store's burglary wasn't just a random crime. Someone knew where things were and wanted them for a reason.
"They came in, knew what they were looking for and took it," she said.
- Staff writer Matthew Waite can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6247 or (800) 333-7505, ext. 6247. His e-mail address is waite@sptimes.com.