Halloween Persuades Real Bandits To Burglarize and Steal Safes

There have been several break-ins in multiple stores around the country. With Halloween coming up and everyone preparing for the weekend fun, it’s no wonder why thieves are deciding to raid stores, specifically Halloween stores. It’s the obvious target for a thief since many people are spending money on costumes, decorations, masks, props and other Halloween accessories. If you run a store yourself, even if it’s not Halloween-related, then you should prepare for the worse. There have been multiple break-ins and thefts nationwide in October alone coming into the Halloween weekend. Make sure you have the necessary security and safety equipment to prevent such disasters.

About a week ago in Northern Michigan, there were two break-ins at two different Halloween costume stores. One was located in Traverse City and another in Petoskey where both stores were raided and thousands of dollars in cash and valuables were stolen. On a Monday evening in Traverse City, the County Sheriff’s reported that the burglar gained access inside by breaking in through the back entrance. From there the thief was able to carry out two large safes. Then the following Tuesday night in Petoskey, another safe was stolen at that location. One of the employees of the Halloween Stores, Joe Richie, commented saying, “Just the fact that somebody out there didn’t work for it, took the easy way out and took from someone else.” The investigators of this crime scene noticed that the suspects who raided the stores were familiar with the operations of the store and knew the exact location of the safes. A few days later, the two suspects were arrested and charged for stealing the safes and other merchandise from both Halloween stores. Officers from Petoskey were working with Charlevoix County Sheriff’s Office where the two men were from. From the information that was gathered they were able to issue a search warrant at one of the homes located in Charlevoix County. From there the items were recovered from both the 22-year-old and 32-year-old suspects, both residing in Charlevoix. Fortunately, the officers were able to obtain most of the missing items and the safes that were stolen.

Recently, the police are looking for the suspect who raided several fast-food restaurants and was able to break into at least 30 different safes in North Texas. Surveillance cameras have caught the suspect breaking into a Bedford Subway sandwich shop. Officers have said that the man has attempted to break into the shops at least five times. The investigators have tagged the suspect as the “Subway Bandit,” as he broke into many different sandwich shops. But they also figured out he was also involved in many other restaurant break-ins. One of the Bedford police Lt. Kirk Roberts said, “He knows what he’s doing, he knows how to not leave evidence behind. And once he gains entry, he knows what to do to make things difficult for us.” The investigators are hoping that the surveillance tapes will provide enough evidence and information to arrest the thief. Lt. Kirk Roberts added about the footage, “These are pretty good, somebody is going to know him if they see him.” The “Subway Bandit” has robbed fast-food restaurants in Allen, McKinney, Plano, Denton, Garland, Irving, Arlington Bedford, Colleyville and Grapevine.

Let’s hope that the police officers are able to find the “Subway Bandit,” just like how the Police Officers from Charlevoix County were able to find the two suspects that raided the Halloween stores. It’s nerve-racking how only one man was able to break into so many different fast-food restaurants without being caught. This shows how vulnerable your establishment could be. Even if you don’t own a fast-food restaurant, these burglaries are common among all types of businesses, especially those dealing with cash. It’s important that you have some type of security device to store your cash. Burglars have their mind set on only one thing, and it’s a safe or other security box that holds the cash. There are plenty of different and affordable safes out there that provide some protection, but usually those don’t hold up against a professional thief such as the “Subway Bandit.” That’s why having an all steel constructed safe with high security locks are the recommended choice for cash-handling businesses. MESA Safe provides that type of security in their depository safes and in the other different safes they offer. Make the right decision and you won’t have to go through the same trouble as these victims.

Sources:

http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?list=~%5Chome%5Clists%5Csearch&id=673856#.TqBr-HE5D65

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44967143/ns/local_news-dallas_fort_worth_tx/#.TqBr93E5D65

http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=674536#.TqBr93E5D65