BAYTOWN, Texas – Sheriff’s deputies are looking for a man who stole an expensive, rare drone from Copter Source, a drone specialty store located at 10902 Interstate 10 East.
It happened on Jan. 9, and the incident was captured on the store’s surveillance system.
The man entered the store just before 5 p.m., and the owners told KPRC he was inside for about 45 minutes, acting like he was going to buy a drone and asking a lot of questions, almost as if he was doing his research right then and there.
“He wanted to know how much everything was worth, and how much it cost,” said Laura Turbeville, one of the store’s owners.
The video shows the man, who was wearing a black leather jacket, put a box under his arm and walk out.
The drone he stole is called a Mavic Pro, and Turbeville said it’s very rare.
They are hard to come by these days.
“It’s extremely rare,” she said. “It’s worth about $1,000 retail value, but they’re selling them on Craigslist for almost double.”
Turbeville and her husband ordered 10 Maveric Pro drones in October, and have only received two from the company so far.
She said the components are also hard to get.
The stolen drone isn’t going to be much use to the thief because he didn’t take the charger, and without it, the drone will only fly for 20 minutes.
Turbeville said the parts are just as hard to get, so the thief won’t be able to buy one.
“As small business owners, it’s always a setback when someone does this,” she said.
Turbeville and her husband are hoping someone will recognize the man from the surveillance footage and help deputies identify him.
Anyone with information should contact the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office.