IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Linton Police Department

Recovers $8,000 stolen from Linton home

6/08/2005

LPD recovers $8,000 stolen from Linton home

By Andrea McCann, staff writer

The Linton Police Department has recovered approximately $8,000 stolen from Byron Hos, 35, of Linton in late May.

According to a case summary by LPD Lt. Troy Jerrell, Hos suspected a relative and his female companion of the theft. He reported that Leslie Mallo, 34, Linton, and Jodi Jester, 21, Jasonville, had visited him on or around May 18.

"The reason they stated they had stopped by was to bring him some beans," Jerrell's report said. "They stayed for a little while and left. The next day or so, he went to his closet and noticed that a lock box he kept was missing."

The box held around $8,000 in U.S. currency packaged in bank envelopes. Hos advised Jerrell that there were a few 100- and 50-dollar bills, but the majority of the money was 20-dollar bills. He also thought there might be a few silver eagles in the box, but he wasn't sure.

"When he reported this, I spoke to Mallo's mother," Jerrell said.

According to his report, she remembered mentioning Hos's money box to her son, but she was sure he wouldn't have taken it.

"When I talked to her, she mentioned that he was incarcerated at Hamilton County," Jerrell said. "She knew he was there because he called her."

Through further investigation, Jerrell discovered that Mallo and Jester had been arrested in Fishers when a traffic stop showed that both were wanted on warrants in other counties. They were transported to the Hamilton County jail, where the money found in their vehicle was processed and held.

Jerrell learned from Fishers Police officers that almost exactly $8,000 had been recovered from the vehicle Mallo and Jester were driving. He also learned that it was in the denominations Hos had described. However, it was in plastic bags with the amount in each bag written on the outside of the bag.

When Jerrell interviewed Mallo and Jester, they admitted to taking the money from the Hos residence. Because the box was locked, they took the entire box instead of removing only a portion of the money from the box and leaving the box in place. They pried it open, removed the money, wiped fingerprints from the box and discarded it in a Dumpster behind the old Marathon gas station on State Road 54 West.

The pair drove to Indianapolis to meet a friend of Mallo's and leave for Florida. There, they counted the money and separated it into plastic bags to put in different places so if they got robbed, according to Mallo, the chance of all the money being stolen was slim.

Jester told Jerrell the money was counted and placed in bags so they could repay Hos. She also told him that they were joking about stealing the money, then when they got to the Hos home, Mallo told her to go get it. But Mallo stated that they were serious about taking the money, and the only time they talked about returning it was before they left Linton.

"They had planned to go to Florida, and if they didn't like it there, they would travel to another state and continue this until they found somewhere they liked," Jerrell reported in his case summary.

Mallo was transported from Hamilton County jail to Boone County jail on a probation violation, and Jester was transported to Vigo County jail for failure to appear. Both have been released. LPD has filed theft charges against Mallo and Jester and hopes warrants will be issued by next week. Theft is a Class D felony punishable by six months to three years incarceration and a maximum $10,000 fine.

Jerrell picked up the money and brought it back to the LPD for processing and eventual return to Hos.

"It's unusual to get the money back," he said. "There may be some missing, but the majority was there. It'll be returned to the owner eventually."

He said no silver eagles were found, and Mallo and Jester both claim there were none in the box.

LPD Chief Keith McDonald praised Jerrell's work putting the pieces together to solve the case and recover the money.

"He had to travel to several counties to wrap the case up," he said. "I'm sure the victim will be pleased to get his money back."

For More Information Contact:

CompanyLongName
CompanyAddress
Tel: CompanyPhone
FAX: CompanyFAX
Internet: CompanyEmail