Thief steals $45,000 from lawyer's office over the holiday weekend

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- "It was a good day's work for him," said attorney Sarnie Randle.

"Unless we catch him," he added wryly.

The lawyer's Galleria-area law firm was ransacked over the holiday weekend by a thief who then struck it big. When Randle and his staff returned on Tuesday to his sixth-floor office, located at 5177 Richmond, they found a mess and $45,000 in cash gone.

Randle's first reaction was anger.

"If he had taken a few hundred dollars, it wouldn't be a big deal. It's the amount," Randle said. "I will not rest until something is done about him."

Randle shared video from the building's security cameras with ABC13 after it was handed over to Houston police. The video shows what's believed to be the thief's car, a silver 4-door sedan, drive into the parking garage. It was Saturday morning during weekend business hours for the Chase bank on the first floor, so the building was open.

The thief casually walks in with his cell phone to his ear, but he bypasses the bank and goes straight to the elevator. Once on the sixth-floor, the man gets $150 from one business and then thousands from Randle's.

"We've got a lot to go on. We just have to put a name to a face," Randle said, hoping the public will help identify him. "It (the theft) places my business at a short term risk."

He explained that as a personal injury lawyer, income is not always consistent.

The man, who was wearing a Texas A&M shirt, spent almost two hours inside. Randle says he pried open locked doors and damaged filing cabinets. He arrived empty-handed and left with a grocery bag full of, not only the cash, but also three laptops and some cashiers checks. When he was walking out, his face lights up as if he thinks he got away with it.

"A smile spreads across his face," Randle said. "He needs to be locked up for a long time."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers or the Houston Police Department. You may be eligible for a cash reward.