ALVIN, Texas – Surveillance video shows two men going to great lengths to get their hands on rent money inside a leasing office.
Joy Swonke, the property manager at an Alvin area apartment complex, said she was blown away when she saw the footage.
"I hope they get arrested," said Swonke.
The crooks found a creative way to grab the checks from a mail slot in the office door. Swonke said they placed a sticky substance on the end of a wire they stuck through the slot.
"They must have used something sticky because this is all sticky in here," said Swonke.
The surveillance video shows one guy holding the light from a smart phone as the other one carefully slides out the envelopes, one by one through the opening.
The two got away with more than $4,300 in rent money, including Fred Berner's money order that he immediately cancelled.
"They are going to give me a bit of a discount, a $50 discount off my rent. I had to get the money order replaced. They've been really good about it," said Berner.
Swonke said the video shows the pair's faces as they run off with the stolen money.
"It's wonderful because at least we got it on camera and that will help us so much," said Swonke.
The property company said it's offering a $500 cash reward for information leading to an arrest.