HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Bobby Haller says he is patiently waiting for an arrest after his Sandston vape business was broken into in September.
Haller says he was just one victim, but now he’s speaking out for several others after a rash of more recent crimes in the Sandston region.
“Everybody is frustrated, everyone is on edge,” Haller said.
Henrico business owner out 'almost $5,000' after caught-on-camera thieves break into vape shop
Over the weekend, Haller says Sandston residents took to social media regarding car and garage break-ins over the past week, after he posted a video saying teens were seen running near the scene of a break-in near Williamsburg Road.
He says the reports come on the heels of several homes and close to 30 vehicles being damaged two weeks ago when someone shot out the windows.
“I fielded quite a few messages on Friday night and Saturday,” Haller said. “People who’ve lost faith in the police department, in the system, and now they’re going to start turning to protecting their own property and doing it themselves. It’s pretty disheartening.”
Henrico County Board of Supervisors Chairman Tyrone Nelson, who represents the county's Varina district, urged citizens to be patient when it comes to increasing patrols at night as he said the police department was down 80 officers.
"I got a message today that people are getting frustrated. They going to start taking stuff into their own hands. Please, do not start taking stuff into your own hands," Nelson said.
Nelson said that he talked with the county manager and the Chief of Police about holding a community meeting on November 19. Nelson said the time and location would likely be finalized in the next few days.
"We're going to have a meeting set up in Sandston with the community and police," Nelson said. "That's the whole agenda of the whole meeting so that they can update y'all on where they are with the work that they've been doing."
"But I did get a promise that you are going to start seeing police officers in the evening, at night, driving through the community," Nelson said.
"I'm getting messages with people saying police are not doing anything. That's not true. They are. Maybe it's not moving quickly enough for you. I get it. It's your property," he said. "It wasn't too long ago somebody tried to steal my car. So I know how it feels when you're violated."
If you have information that could help detectives, call Henrico Police at 804-501-5000 or Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000.
If you were in the area and saw something, you can submit an anonymous tip, here. All tips submitted on P3Tips or Crime Stoppers are anonymous.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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