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Tape shows men stealing from charity auction

BY CALEB HALE, THE SOUTHERN

Friday, May 25, 2007 7:17 AM CDT

MAKANDA - There's a silver lining to a theft that tarnished a fundraising event on behalf of a debilitating infant disease.

Two men caught on surveillance tape stealing from Blue Sky Vineyard's recent auction to support Tay-Sachs Disease will be shown on CNN this evening. In that news report a co-organizer of the event, who also happens to be the father of an affected child, gets a national platform to raise awareness about the condition.

"We couldn't ask for more than this," said Tim Rochman, whose 2-year-old daughter, Elise Ryne, has suffered from Tay-Sachs Disease since she was 11 months old.

The disorder, which typically starts in the fetus stage, degenerates a child's nervous system to the point the body can no longer sustain itself. Children diagnosed with Tay-Sachs usually don't live past 5 years of age.

Tim Rochman, of O'Fallon, is the 30-year-old son of Carbondale resident Barrett Rochman, who owns Blue Sky Vineyard in Makanda. Last year the Rochmans started a benefit concert and auction at the vineyard to raise money and awareness of Tay-Sachs. May 12 marked the second year of the event. Rochman said the event raised about $28,000.

The Rochmans already knew someone had stolen a Polaris helmet and camouflage tote bag, with a total value of $120, from the auction table. But it wasn't until Wednesday, when they were able to access the video from the vineyard's security camera system, that they saw their suspects.

The video showed two men, who appear to be either in their late 20s or early 30s, grabbing the items off the table, even high-fiving one another after the theft occurred, Tim Rochman said.

"You see these two guys who aren't any older than my age, wearing polo shirts, who look like they can afford a helmet and a bag, taking off with the stuff," he said. "The situation isn't that serious, but they didn't just steal it from any place."

"It's not what they stole; it's minimal," Barrett Rochman said. "But, you're taking money from dying children."

Barrett Rochman said he took the surveillance video to local television news stations, hoping if they aired the tape, someone would recognize the men.

When producers of Nancy Grace, a nightly news personality on CNN Headline News, called them, the Rochmans were suddenly given a nationwide platform to discuss Tay-Sachs. Tim Rochman will be featured on a segment of Grace's show tonight.

"I think there's a little silver lining," he said. "I'm not thankful those guys took anything. It's just that old saying, I guess, you take the lemons and make lemonade."

Meanwhile, Barrett Rochman said the vineyard staff is still viewing security tapes, looking for more frames in which they can see the two suspects. They are hoping to find a clearer picture of the men to show.

Surveillance will be shown on CNN Headline News at 7 tonight.

Anyone with information about the theft should call Blue Sky Vineyard at 995-9463, Rochman's office at 457-4334, or the Union County Sheriff's Department at 833-5500.

caleb.hale@thesouthern.com

351-5090