Blane Nordahl typically cased expensive homes, but would also look for leads in architecture magazines and those featuring the homes of the rich and famous, Lonnie Mason, a retired New Jersey police detective said.
Blane Nordahl was arrested in Hilliard, Fla., Aug. 26, 2013. He’s accused of stealing millions of dollars worth of silver across seven states.
Police in Florida arrested a prodigious but picky cat burglar Monday, accused of robbing more than $10 million worth of fine antique silver from celebrity homes and historic mansions across the South.
For months, precious pieces of silver — a stein that once belonged to King George II, a silverware set smithed by Paul Revere — have disappeared from stately homes across seven states, while other valuables were left untouched. In nearly every instance there were virtually no clues, police said, and the thief would often cover his tracks, even replacing panes of glass he removed from windows.
The burglar was adept at sneaking past “sleeping dogs” and disabling alarm systems, according to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
“When all alarms were disabled, he would remove entire drawers full of silver items and take them outside to test them with his own silver test kit; plate silver would be thrown away at the scene and he would leave with only the finest and most expensive items,” Sheriff Bill Leeper said in a statement.
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