JOHNSTON CITY -- When Rene Hightower had to close her Marion store, Black Widow T's, in January, because of a family health crisis, she put most of the shop's contents in a storage unit at CKN Mini Storage in Johnston City.
In mid-May, she was notified that her unit had been burglarized. The Johnston City police have since made arrests, but so far not everything stolen has been recovered.
While there were some big ticket items taken -- two flat screen televisions and speakers -- what keeps Hightower awake at night is the loss of two pieces of original artwork.
"I don't care about the other items," she said. "I just want the artwork back."
One is a drawing of Marilyn Monroe done by Hightower's son, Michael Humes. The second is a chalk drawing of Michelangelo's "damned soul," that has been a treasure of Hightower's for over two decades.
"It was done by my brother," she said. "It can never be replaced."
Hightower's brother, John Ball, passed away in 1987. The drawing is one of only a few that he left behind.
Hightower said it's done in black and yellow chalk on a white board.
"These are very important to me," she said. "If you have them or know who does, pleased drop them off at any ROC station in Marion, West Frankfort, or Johnston City." Hightower is now working for ROC. She is offering a reward for the return of the pictures.
She stresses that there will be no questions or explanation required, she just wants to get them back.
Theft at the storage facility is not common, said CKN owner Chad Nalley. "This is not something that happens often," he said. "I've owned it for three years now, and this is only the second (unit to be robbed)."
Nalley said the thieves drove up in a U-Haul during daytime hours, making it appear that it was a normal case of people moving in or out. "We have 24-hour video surveillance," he said, "but they made it look like it was a normal thing. We see U-Hauls coming and out all the time."
Johnston City Police Chief Will Stark confirmed that the thieves drove a U-Haul, giving the appearance of normal business activity at the facility.
Nalley said that while he tries to make everything as secure as possible, renters can help themselves by using round cylinder locks. "It just about makes it impossible for anybody to get in without a grinder to cut it (the lock) off," he said. "We would hear that."
As for Hightower, she is hoping for a measure of honesty from someone. "I just want my pictures back," she said.
Along with the ROC stations, Hightower said she can also be contacted on Facebook.
