[bergy]

I hate that this happened to you. Good, dependable restorers are a precious commodity. When you find one that you can trust (many on this site) - stick with 'em!

Charlie is right about taking the cops with you. Too many crazy people have weapons these days. I've had experience with taking a bunch of "friends" to recover my stuff. We were successful, but it had the potential to be very messy. Looking back - I wouldn't do it again.