Nothing comical about this caper

Sat., Nov. 20, 2004

By Hilary Kraus hilaryk@spokesman.com

Shazam! This sounds like a case for Captain Marvel.

Jay Gunter, a 36-year-old Spokane man with a penchant for collecting comic books, had the bulk of his library lifted early Friday morning. A part-time broadcast technician at television station KREM and full-time admirer of the superheroes, Gunter desperately wants his collection back.

“These are a part of my past, they are a part of the way I look at the nation,” said Gunter, who has been a serious collector for more than 10 years. “It shows various aspects of society, about people in general. It’s more than just a comic book collection.”

Forty-eight hours ago, Gunter’s collection was close to 8,000, which he stashed in boxes at his home near Airway Heights. When he returned from work Friday morning, he discovered his house had been broken into and more than half his collection had been swiped.

“I was in the process of rearranging them. I had them out for anybody to see,” Gunter said.

It was the second time in two weeks Gunter’s house was burglarized. The first break-in, which he reported to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, occurred Nov. 11, also when he was at work. Gunter reported the front and back doors were open when he got home, his dresser drawers had been rummaged through. His checkbook was missing off the dresser. He quickly made the necessary calls to his bank.

Since then, Gunter said he has been more mindful about his property and had been leaving the lights and a radio on when he’s out.

When he arrived home Friday morning, he said the front door was wide open, the radio was on, the lights were on, and much of his comic book collection was gone. His televisions, DVD player and other electronic items were not taken.

After filing another report, Gunter began calling local pawn shops to find out if any of his treasures had shown up. He said he’s also keeping an eye on eBay auctions. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Department did not return telephone calls to The Spokesman-Review regarding the case.

Gunter said he doesn’t know the monetary value of his collection because to him it’s priceless. He said he suspects the thief (or thieves) is someone who is able to watch him and is familiar with his work schedule.

“If I were looking for the Joker, or other supervillains, then I’d have a clue,” he said.

If anyone has information for Gunter, please contact him at gunterjay@hotmail.com.

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