Bandits hit Ken’s Stereo Junction in early morning burglary

A family-owned Macon business that sells audio and video equipment was burglarized by a group of three masked bandits whose images were captured in high definition by the store’s numerous surveillance cameras early Thursday morning.

Three small men dressed in all-black clothing, hoodies and gloves, crashed through the tempered glass with a piece of asphalt and squeezed through bars on the front door of Ken’s Stereo Junction, which has operated on Mercer University Drive for decades, according to a news release from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.

The bandits looted a television, speakers and some Blu-Ray players through the opening in the glass, surveillance video shows. Three other TVs were damaged during the burglary. The entire heist took two minutes.

It’s estimated the store lost about $8,000 in merchandise and damages, said Kurt Kozee, the store’s general manager of sales and services. Kozee said the last time Ken’s was burglarized was about four and a half years ago.

“Everybody’s been asking me ... ‘will y’all think about moving?’ ” Kozee said of the business that’s operated in the same location for 38 years. “The answer is no. There’s no way we’d ever move. ... We’ve been here for so long.”

Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to call the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500 and leave a message for the on-call property investigator. Tipsters can also call Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 877-68-CRIME.

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 8:20 PM with the headline "Bandits hit Ken’s Stereo Junction in early morning burglary."