Suspected shoplifter tries to hide iguana in pants
COUNCIL BLUFFS — Of all the places you could put an iguana, down your pants is probably last on the list.
Four baby bearded dragons looking something like this one were killed when a Bluffs pet store owner tussled with a suspected shoplifter.But that's exactly where a Turin, Iowa, man is accused of hiding an eight- to nine-inch iguana at a Bluffs pet store Friday.
It's also probably not a good idea to steal from the Bird Cage Pet Shop, 2719 E. Kanesville Blvd. Owner Rex Maresch, 44, trains daily in tae kwon do as well as mixed martial arts and jujitsu — and he'll follow a thief to Omaha if he has to.
Still, this is not a story that ends happily, even though the bad guy gets caught. All the pets involved in Friday's altercation died.
According to police reports, a man came into the store and put an iguana in a cloth bag. He then put the bag in his pants. Maresch, seeing this happen on a security camera, confronted the man.
An iguana similar to this one died after being thrown to the floor by a suspected shoplifter at a Bluffs pet store.Once the man was told "police are on their way" he threw the bag containing the iguana to the floor and tried to run past Maresch.
The shop owner grabbed the alleged thief by the shoulder and swept his legs out from under him, sending him into a glass display case holding four baby bearded dragons.
The 21-year old thief got up and ran several blocks, with Maresch in pursuit. Finally, Maresch cornered the man in some bushes and assumed a fighting stance. That prompted the man to give up, and the two went back to the store, where police were waiting.
Maresch said he is sick of people stealing from his store. He had some dogs stolen several years ago, and in March had a $600 Chihuahua stolen. Maresch recovered the dog after he learned that the thief lived in an apartment near 40th and Cass Streets in Omaha. He got the dog back, not with martial arts but by knocking on the thief's door and telling the man that he had him on camera and would turn the tape over to police.
"In the last few months, we've had more than $1,000 worth of reptiles stolen," said Maresch, who has since installed surveillance equipment and talked with employees about keeping an eye out for shoplifters.
Five animals died in the Friday incident. The iguana, worth about $40, died when it was thrown to the floor.
Also killed were the four bearded dragons, worth $129 each. They died when broken glass and a heating rock fell on them after the tussle between the man and Maresch sent the man tumbling into the cage.
The man was arrested on suspicion of second-degree robbery.
is that an iguana in your pants or are you just happy to see me
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