CAROL STREAM, Ill., June 4 -- A 77-year-old suburban Chicago man is charged in the alleged theft of more than 6,000 of the popular Beanie Baby stuffed animal toys. Authorities were tipped by a private detective hired by toymaker Ty, Inc., after 600 cases of Beanie Babies disappeared from a Westmont, Ill. , warehouse in April.
The Chicago Tribune today says private investigator Skip Drish followed the trail to the Glendale Heights, Ill., home of Ben Perri, and to a rental storag facility in Carol Stream, Ill., where officers found 12 cases of the stuffed toys, valued at about $6,235, in a storage locker and Perri's truck. He was arrested Friday, charged with theft and spent the night in jail. Police say the stolen Beanie Babies may have been sold at a suburban fruit market where several empty cases were found. Ty, Inc. has made 118 different designs of Beanie Babies since 1986 and a spokesman says a collector's market has driven up prices of several discontinued dolls to around $2,000. ---
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