Lake County, California – When detectives from the Santa Rosa Police Department arrived at a Lake County home earlier this week, they didn’t expect to find a scene that looked like a toy shop gone feral. Inside, the living room and hallway were filled with Lego pieces — thousands of them. Unopened boxes lined the walls, while the desks overflowed with plastic limbs, torsos, and heads, many neatly sorted into bins by facial expression.
Investigators say the home belonged to 39-year-old Robert Lopez, who has been accused of orchestrating a small-scale but surprisingly organized Lego theft operation. The Santa Rosa Police Department announced Wednesday that Lopez allegedly directed others to steal expensive Lego sets from major retailers like Walmart and Target, then bought the stolen goods at discounted prices to resell them for profit.
Lopez now faces charges of organized retail theft and conspiracy to commit a felony. Under California law, that could mean up to three years in prison if convicted. Police said they also found a shotgun and a loaded assault rifle inside a safe during the search…