Photo: bjdlzx (Getty)
If you’re going to plan out a super fancy heist and risk going to jail for a very long time, you should at least take some time to research what you’re stealing. And the one reason I say this is because the folks responsible for stealing a meteorite from a museum clearly didn’t realize the hunk of junk they were taking.
Police are currently searching for the person or people responsible for stealing a meteorite from the Science Museum of Virginia last week. And yet, it’s not a massive deal since that piece of space dust is only worth about $1,500.
Here’s what museum director Rich Conti told the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
“When the (air-hockey playing) robot breaks, it’s a really big deal. We can buy a new meteorite on eBay and have it in by Tuesday.”
Conti is referring to the air-hockey robot, which was programmed by military contractors, and is one of only three in existence. In other words, if the thieves stole that it would have been chaos, but they instead took that worthless meteorite which was the size of a small ball.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
It was part of the museum’s “Speed” exhibit, secured on a metal display stand in a bracket that allowed visitors to touch it. Police said the assembly had been forced open at some point, allowing someone to slip the rock out.
“When you get right down to it, there’s a very limited market for this kind of item,” said Capitol Police spokesman Joe Macenka. “It becomes a very unusual investigation.”
Museum spokeswoman Jennifer Guild said the museum does not comment on security measures, but no security cameras were visible in the vicinity of the exhibit, which on Friday had been reduced to a bare, black stand.
Well, I at least hope those thieves build a shelf above their toilet so they can display their new rock. Maybe they can charge their neighbors a nickel to see it in person.
