Stolen Home improvement Items Found

Kansas City police on Thursday searched two more houses connected to a man suspected of running a burglary ring and seized seven more truckloads of home improvement merchandise.

Thursday’s cache brings the number of truckloads of confiscated merchandise in the investigation to nearly 50, Sgt. Brad Lemon said.

Lemon and other officers searched two houses Thursday morning near 40th Street and Highland Avenue owned by relatives of Bobby Veal, 71, of Kansas City.

Police hauled off lawn tractors, lawn mowers, doors, windows and more.

Last Friday and over the weekend, police had carted off other merchandise from four different houses owned by Veal’s relatives.

Police then searched Veal’s home near 55th Street and Highland Avenue on Monday and confiscated more than 100 items, including circular saws, weed trimmers, five rifles and $8,900 in cash.

Jackson County prosecutors last week charged Veal with second-degree burglary and felony stealing in the theft of a furnace from a vacant apartment Oct. 20. He is out of jail on $75,000 bond.

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