Look familiar to you? Please contact me if he does.

There is never a dull moment around here! This morning Ralph called me at Manatee Memorial Hospital (MMH). He was at the restaurant. Ralph never calls me at MMH, unless it's bad news. You'll remember that Deb called me at MMH back in November and how that went. Anyway, this was no different, bad news, although it could have been worse news.

There was another break-in last night at CCI. I thought the signs I posted around CCI that the restaurant is under 24 video surveillance as well as 24/7 surveillance by the Manatee Sheriff's Department would be a deterrent. I guess not. You would also think that just by nature of being a small family owned restaurant would in itself be a deterrent. Of course, that small family owned issue might make them think that we are country bumpkins or something. Perhaps they think we don't know about night depositories and not leaving cash and valuables on site after closing. And really, what is there of value at a restaurant? Frankly, after they break-in, they find out what you and I already know. There is nothing there worth stealing.



 

If you know or recognize him, please call me or the Manatee Sheriff's Department

                                                  
Maybe I'm over thinking this, but wouldn't you think that someone planning a break-in would at least do their own surveillance of the business and try to determine if there's anything worth risking jail time for? Am I giving these perps too much credit.

This guy spent over one and a half hours at the back of the restaurant between the walk-in, freezer and the actual restaurant proper. At that juncture, he saw the camera and disconnected it. Really? Does he not know about DVRs? Did he actually think that disconnecting the camera was the end of the story? Now who's the country bumpkin?  Plus over one and a half hours in a space not much bigger than a jail cell? What's that all about? I'll tell you. He looked through the shelves, tried to pick the main lock, cleaned his ears with a Q-tip, rummaged through the First Aid kit, drank a soda, wondered in and out the back door, saw then disconnected the camera, and after that at some point took off with a case and a half of soda.

As I said, it could have been worse. Three break-ins involved smashing the glass of the front door. That's costly to fix. One break-in involved stealing the cash register drawer. In the process of swiping the drawer, he yanked off the receipt printer and POS. Miraculously, both still worked, although some cables were damaged. Cheaper to replace cables than computers, although the drawer wasn't cheap to replace. Another break-in involved drinking a V-8 juice. The first break-in involved stealing a couple of beers. So you see, nothing overly dramatic, just a series of events that piss me off and require repairs. Not sure yet if that particular camera is permanently disabled.

The kid last night climbed in through a screened in area in the back. He must have planned his point of entry during the day because this area isn't highly lit or visible at night. That's all he planned. Then, he dropped down above the slicer and he was in.

Point of entry outside



Point of entry inside



First Aid kit



   

This is when he saw the camera

He disconnected the camera right after this image

We're working closely with the Manatee County Sheriff's Department. The original investigator took down the information and provided the case number. Shortly after he left, two undercover detectives arrived to gather more information and to look at the video footage. One of the undercover detectives was a patrolman at the time of the last break-in and he was involved in that case. Several hours after they left, two additional undercover detectives arrived to also look at the video footage and to ask additional questions. The first detective called me to ask if I had a copy yet of the video footage. Obviously, they have someone in mind. I think this time justice will be served. What do you think?