Stephen Bowles, 51, of Remington, Indiana was charged with three felony accounts of theft in related to rare comic books take at this past weekend’s Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2).
Bowles is accused of stealing over $9,000 in comics from three vendors. He was ordered held on $10,000 bail and being held at a Cook County Jail until he can post a $1,000 bond.
A vendor alerted Chicago police and Bowles was arrested. He was found with some of the reported stolen comics. He is alledged to have taken $4,500 worth of comics from one vendor, $3,500 from another, and a third for $1,200.
Bowles admitted to the theft after being arrested.
The weekend is almost here! What geeky things will you all be doing? Sound off in the comments! While you wait for the work day to end and the weekend to begin, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web in our morning roundup.
DragonCon co-founder Ed Kramer is in trouble again with the law and is accused of taking a picture of a 7-year-old in a doctor’s office.
Kramer is a convicted child molester and in the past was sentenced to five years of house arrests on three counts of child molestation. He was released in December. Due to his conviction and his being a sex offender, the photos are illegal.
Authorities are attempting to revoke his probation and he could be resentenced on his original conviction. He faces up to 55 years in prison.
Police found computers and storage devices in Kramer’s home and are going through them.
Kramer heads to court Thursday.
Breaking: Dragon Con founder and convicted child molester Ed Kramer is back behind bars. Held at Gwinnett County Jail, accused of illegally taking a picture of a seven-year-old girl in a Lawrenceville doctors office. Just released off house arrest last December. @wsbtvpic.twitter.com/MDuq5FAVTs
Latest mugshot for Dragon-Co founder and Convicted child molestor . Ed Kramer accuser of taking unauthorized photo of 7 yr old girl at Lawrenceville doctors office . @wsbtvpic.twitter.com/UQuz6Grj4G
We’ve been covering Toy Fair all weekend and we’ve still got a lot coming! So, stay tuned for more toy awesomeness. While you spend this Presidents Day waiting for that, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web.
It was new comic book day yesterday! What’d you all get? What’d you like? What’d you dislike? Sound off in the comments below! While you think about that, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web!
It’s new comic book day! What’s everyone excited for? What do you plan on getting? Sound off in the comments below! While you wait for shops to open, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web in our morning roundup.
It’s a new week and we’ve got a long weekend here at GP HQ. We’re spending it getting ready for the week but expect the usual reporting for the day. No slowing down here!
Early today we brought you the news about the arson that occurred in a parking lot at a hotel being used by Anime LA attendees. We then updated it with the news that the suspected arsonist was an attendee who was stalking another cosplayer.
The Ontario California Police have released a statement and photo of the suspect, Matthew Toyotome, who has been arrested.
The police are still looking for more information and witnesses. If you have any, the contact information is below in their statement.
The release is below:
Ontario Police arrested a man suspected of setting fire to seven vehicles at the Folk Inn, located at 204 N. Vineyard Avenue.
This incident took place on Saturday, January 13, 2019 at 1:50 AM when a suspect poured gasoline onto a vehicle in the parking lot and then lit it on fire. The gasoline spread to six other vehicles, engulfing them in flames before the Ontario Fire Department was able to extinguish the fire. The fire caused the evacuation of several hotel guests at both the Folk Inn and the neighboring hotel, the Azure Hotel. Neither building nor any people were harmed in the blaze. The incident was captured by hotel video surveillance.
Responding officers determined the fire was intended for a female acquaintance of the suspect. Investigators identified Matthew Toyotome, a 27-year-old male from Riverside as the suspect seen in the video. Toyotome is associated with a cosplay group that was attending the anime convention over the weekend. He was arrested at his home later that morning without incident. Toyotome has been booked at the West Valley Detention Center on charges of arson and stalking.
This is an on-going investigation and anyone with information is asked to call the Ontario Police Department at 909-986-6711 or Detective Brian Darwin at 909-408-1767.
Information can also be reported anonymously by calling WE-TIP at (800) 78-CRIME or online at www.wetip.com.
We reported earlier about the arson that torched cars parked at a hotel near Anime Los Angeles, a hotel numerous attendees were staying. At the time we couldn’t say whether it was an attendee that set the fire, which was caught on video. But, we can now confirm that the targeted victim was an attendee and suspected arsonist an “obsessive stalker.”
The arson was caused by a stalker of Jenkins who has been arrested by Ontario Police. Matt Masumi Toyotome, 27, of Riverside is the suspect and was arrested without incident at his home Sunday. Ontario Police Lt. David McBride said Toyotomoe was “acquainted” with the victim.
In Jenkins’ own words:
While I was attending Anime Los Angeles, my car was targeted and set on fire by an obsessed stalker who specifically set my car on fire. I only had liability insurance, so my insurance will not cover me and I got it for $27,000. It was a really good working 2015 Subaru Outback. I appreciate everyone who has helped be here for me during this ordeal, and thank you all for encouraging me to go through with starting a go fund me. I can’t say thank you enough for the cosplay community being so supportive and helpful to me in just every way. Thank you everyone, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
At least seven, some witnesses say eight, cars were damaged from arson in a parking lot of Azure Hotel & Suites in Ontario, California Sunday Morning.
The hotel was hopping due to Anime Los Angeles which took place this weekend at the Ontario Convention Center.
It’s unknown if the arsonist was an attendee of the convention but witnesses say around 2am a blaze was reported and the hotel was evacuated as a precaution.
Surveillance video shows a man walking up to the main vehicle, pour two cans of gasoline on it and flicking a match. The match didn’t star the fire to the individual lit it with a lighter. That fire then spread to other cars.
The convention center where the convention took place is next to the hotel.
