Man Charged With Burglary, Theft At Laundromat

A Rolla man is facing burglary and theft charges after allegedly breaking into a Crawford County laundromat, stealing cash and tampering with equipment. 

Timothy Springer was allegedly caught in the act Dec. 17 when a business owner’s surveillance monitoring and a prompt police response led to his arrest.

The incident came to light when the business owner contacted the Steelville Police Department to report that her laundromat had been burglarized. 

Upon arrival, officers discovered that the interior security camera had been tampered with and hidden behind a washing machine. The owner reported damage near the lock on the storage room door, suggesting forced entry.

Once inside, the perpetrator had stolen a key ring granting access to all the laundromat’s equipment, removed all the quarters from a blue bucket, and emptied the bills from the change machine. The owner estimated the total loss from the quarter bucket and change machine to be $800-$1,000.

Later that evening, a deputy with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office detained Springer at the laundromat. Found in his possession were keys matching those stolen from the business, a cloth bag containing $108.50 in quarters, and $171 in cash. Springer was also caught with a stolen Dr. Pepper from the soda vending machine, which he had unlocked using the stolen keys.

An individual monitoring the laundromat's cameras noticed suspicious activity and found Springer inside the business. After the individual contacted law enforcement, a deputy arrived on scene and took Springer into custody.

Springer allegedly admitted Dec. 18 to taking the keys, quarters and cash from the change machine. He stated that he had used some of the stolen quarters at Dollar General and re-deposited others into the laundromat’s soda machine, where he had been staying.

Springer claimed he acted alone in the burglary.