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'Storage Wars' star Mark Balelo found dead in his Simi Valley, Calif., business Monday
Published: 2/12/2013 9:58 AM
Last Modified: 2/12/2013 10:07 AM


Mark Balelo Facebook

Mark Balelo, one of the stars of A&E's "Storage Wars," was found dead Monday, according to tmz.com and other entertainment websites.

TMZ reported Balelo was arrested Saturday by Simi Valley police at his business for a drug-related offense. He was scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on Feb. 19, according to the Ventura County Star.

The entertainment websites, including eonline.com, reported the man was distraught after being released from jail. TMZ, based in Los Angeles, said Balelo committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.

He was found dead in the garage of his auction house in Simi Valley, Calif., by one of his employees, according to Armando Chavez, senior deputy medical examiner, in a Chicago Tribune story. Chavez gave no details but said an autopsy would be probably performed Tuesday, reported reuters.

According to tmz.com, Balelo, who owned the Southern California auction house Balelo Inc., which specialized in asset liquidations and closeout sales, was found dead in his car which was parked and running in the garage.

Known as "Rico Suave" for his flashy style, Balelo was featured in the second and third seasons of the reality TV series which follows a group of auctioneers and buyers who purchase abandoned storage units.



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Rita Sherrow grew up with TV. Yes, it was the ever-present “sister” from another techno mother. At first look, it was instant "Like." From then on, the TV had to be on in every room while she studied, elementary school through college. An Air Force brat, she attended school in three states (Oklahoma, Montana and Georgia) and two foreign countries (Germany and Bermuda) and graduated from Broken Arrow High School and the University of Tulsa with a degree in journalism/advertising. She first interned in the advertising world but, when a J-School professor (who also covered politics for the Tulsa World) offered her an internship at the newspaper, she took him up on it. The rest is history. She has served as bridal editor, senior features writer for the women’s section, food editor and is television editor of the Tulsa World. In addition to writing about TV shows and interviewing the stars for “Scene” stories, she also writes a TV column for Weekend and produces the Sunday TV World listings magazine.

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