Two Men in Halloween Masks Allegedly Broke Into Comic Book Store, Stole $8,000 Worth of Game Cards

Two men in Tennessee have been arrested after reportedly breaking into a comic book store wearing horror movie character masks ... about a month shy of Halloween. According to a press release shared by the Murfreesboro Police Department (MPD), on September 24, Phillip Clodfelter, 42, and Kelly Garner, 64, broke into Grand Adventures Comic and Games and stole thousands of dollars worth of gaming cards. Authorities said the two men "shatter[ed] the glass front door" of the comic book store and "stole $8,000 worth" of Magic: The Gathering collectible gaming cards. "They went straight in there, cleared out the cases," the store's manager, Chris Pryor, told local news station, WKRN. "The reason why I know they cased [the store] before is because, at the time, we had cards in both cases and I had recently changed that and I put snacks in them. They went right to that case." After their first theft, Clodfelter and Garner then allegedly attempted to break into another collectible store, "but failed to get inside." According to police, the duo were seen on surveillance footage wearing "distinctive" Halloween masks: one resembling Michael Myers from the Halloween slasher film franchise and the other a nun mask from the movie, The Town. Police said the surveillance video revealed the make and model of their car, a red Honda, leading authorities right to them, with officers reportedly seeing Clodfelter and Garner's "masks and stolen collectible game cards in plain sight after approaching the car." They were arrested and now face multiple charges, including burglary, theft and vandalism, according to the MPD. Detectives also said they believe Clodfelter and Garner were behind "similar burglaries" at comic stories in Brentwood and Nashville. As of Friday, the two were still in jail at Rutherford County Adult Detention Center, where they are behind held on a $48,000 bond.