SAN ANTONIO – With the help of a regional fireworks company manager, Bexar County sheriff’s detectives arrested a man Monday who they suspect stole fireworks valued at $35,000 from an Alamo Fireworks stand in the 11000 block of Potranco Road.
When he learned that the fireworks were missing, Alamo Fireworks regional manager John Dilbeck went straight to his computer.
“I jumped on Facebook first and didn’t really see anything,” he said. “The next step was Craigslist and it was really simple, really easy.”
Dilbeck recalled what he saw when he clicked on the ad, “There was a bunch of pictures or our merchandise there – we brand all of our own products,” he said.
He said that he notified sheriff’s detectives, they set up a sting operation and soon arrested Kelvin Payne, 30, and recovered the stolen fireworks.
Dilbeck said that there was no evidence of a break-in at the stand.
“There was no locks cut anywhere, so we don’t know what happened,” he said. “That suggests that whoever the stand operator had watching the stuff trusted the wrong person.”