CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. (WTVR)--When a store is robbed, police depend on technology to help them solve the crime. But the overnight thefts in one small town have left investigators without many clues.
In fact, the overnight crime in one small town has big-time thieves written all over it. That’s according to Caroline County Sheriff Tony Lippa who says whoever hit three Bowling Green businesses early Tuesday morning knew what they were doing. "It’s very frustrating," Lippa said.
And that’s why it's not the economy that has small business owner John Bissoon concerned. "People try to work hard for a living," he said. “[Then] you get people that come in and take what you got, although I guess it could be worse."
He says the mind-set of the thieves is what makes him mad.
His restaurant door at John's Place was pried open early Tuesday morning, and the common door he shares with a Shell station was broken out. "And the phone lines were cut," Bissoon said.
That meant the alarms were never triggered. On top of that, some surveillance video systems were ripped right off the wall.
John’s Place, the Shell station and Pizza Hut were all targets and deputies say through their investigation, they've narrowed the break-in time to between 1 and 3 a-m.
"If anyone was driving through Bowling Green during those hours and saw anything suspicious-- no matter if they think it's minute, CALL US,” Lippa said. “This job was done by experienced people who've done it before.”
Lippa says they've given the information to law enforcement in neighboring counties and states and says that the total from the Tuesday morning heists is close to $37,000. “Cash from the ATM, several items like cigarettes and cigars and other property taken as a result of break-in," he said.
The break-ins have Bissoon hoping small-town pride will help catch some big-time crooks. "Everybody knows everybody here,” Bissoon said. “So hopefully somebody heard or saw something."
