Bigfork business looted, Alex Strickland/Bigfork Eagle vandalized

Bigfork Eagle

Sometime in the early hours of Sunday morning, a burglar broke into the back window of Techno Joe's video games and computers on Highway 35 and stole or destroyed nearly everything in the store, according to owners Misty and Joe Olson.

Misty Olson said six XBox gaming systems and all of the XBox games in stock were taken, along with Playstation 3's, games and other gaming systems. Olson said all of Joe's custom computers kept in the store were destroyed.

An employee went in Sunday morning to print something out, Olson said, and discovered the damage. Flathead County Sheriffs were called upon discovery.

Olson said it was the first time their store has been the victim of any sort of vandalism or theft and that she was between disbelief and anger.

"They took everything," she said. "And everything they didn't take they destroyed."

Joe Olson estimated that approximately $40,000 worth of goods was stolen or damaged, including the store's entire stock of XBox games, valued at about $5,000.

Olson said that security cameras in the store recorded footage of the theives, which he said he hopes will lead to a speedy conviction.

Olson said he plans to reopen as soon as possibleafter sorting out insurance claims and getting some inventory back, possibly as soon as the end of this week.

"We have a good group of kids that come in here," he said of his usual clientel. "We're not going to let a few mess this up."