Someone tunneled into an Albuquerque golf shop. Then, police say, a man tried to sell the stolen clubs to a friend of the owner.
Aug. 5—It could have been a hole in one. But getting caught may be par for the course.
Someone tunneled through the wall of a popular Albuquerque golf store in late June and stole more than $50,000 worth of clubs. Then, according to police, Timothy Dang tried to sell the clubs over Facebook and — to his detriment — to a friend of the golf store store owner.
Dang, 49, is charged with receiving stolen property over $20,000, a second-degree felony in the case. Police say they arrested Dang after surveilling him selling one stolen club and raiding his home, finding hundreds of clubs packaged for resale and shipping.
Detectives discovered that Dang also had stolen clubs that were taken in several other burglaries at golf courses and shops around Albuquerque, according to court records. Of the $54,000 worth of clubs stolen from Golf Mart on June 29, police recovered $23,000 worth.
It's unclear where the rest of the clubs ended up, and police say they believe Dang didn't act alone and may not have been the initial burglar, just the fence.
Dang was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on Thursday. His family declined to comment.
Police responded on June 29 to a burglary that happened around 5:30 a.m. at the Golf Mart near Wyoming and Montgomery NE, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Police discovered a person had broken into a vacant neighboring store and tunneled through the drywall into the golf shop, loading expensive clubs into a garbage can.
Police said the same day of the burglary, a friend of the owner of Golf Mart got a message from Dang trying to sell him some high-end drivers that matched those stolen. The friend, collaborating with the store owner, asked Dang if he had specific clubs for sale that had been stolen and Dang sent a picture of one with the serial number was visible.
The owner of Golf Mart confirmed the serial number belonged to one of the clubs that had been stolen and reported Dang to police, according to the complaint. The owner's friend told police he met Dang in 2022 when Dang sold him a golf club over Facebook and offered to sell him other clubs throughout the year.
Police said detectives used the metadata from photos Dang sent of the stolen clubs to determine the photos were taken at the home where Dang lived with his wife and daughter. Detectives surveilled Dang, watching him sell a still-wrapped club to a man at Arroyo del Oso golf course and executed a search warrant on his home.
Police said Dang told the detectives who came to search his home that "he was on his way to play golf."
Detectives found more than 200 clubs or disassembled clubs and golf products in Dang's home and in the back of his van, according to the complaint. Police also found electronics and other items that appeared to be stolen from various stores around town.
Among the clubs found at Dang's home, according to police, were thousands of dollars worth stolen in separate burglaries from Club Champion, Arroyo del Oso and Puerto del Sol golf courses. Dang told police he bought the stolen clubs, an other items in the past, from "this guy" — referred to as "Booster 1" by police — that he has known for three years.
Dang said he paid 40% of the retail price and "probably knew" the clubs were stolen but "was adamant he did not know how or where," according to the complaint. Dang told police he paid the man $10,000 for all of the stolen clubs and said, "I didn't know how someone would steal so many."
