INDIAHOMA, Okla_A weekend
burglary at a convenience store in Indiahoma caused hundreds of dollars in
damages and it was all for less than $50 of alcohol.
It happened
just after 2 a.m. on Sunday morning.
A sheriff's
deputy on patrol noticed that the front door to the store had been broken open
with a rock and called the store's management. The thieves had ransacked part
of the store and stolen two cases of beer.
The Superrette
in Indiahoma is a mom and pop convenience store. So, when they're forced to pay
hundreds of dollars to fix damaged property, they feel the sting. A store
employee said that it will cost them almost $500 to fix. So, they may have to
raise their prices to make up the difference. The thieves may have gotten away
with the beer, but they left behind a lot of trouble.
Katherine Waquay
said when she walked into the store early Sunday morning it was a mess.
"First of
all I saw the two liters we had a big two liter shelf that had been tipped
over. Some of them were smashed, so there was pop everywhere. It looked really
horrible."
Not to mention
the broken glass from the front door. Waquay said given that the thieves only
stole two cases of beer, she has an idea of who is behind it.
"In my
mind it was probably young adults not working, wanting to get a little drunker
than they were and decided this was the best place to get it without having to
pay for it."
Comanche County
Sheriff Kenny Stradley said this type of crime may seem petty, but in reality
it's not.
"Its a
felony for second-degree burglary. For $40 you're going to give up maybe five
to ten years of your life. It doesn't seem to be worth it to me. People need to
take a little time to think because sooner or later you're going to get caught."
Waquay said its
unfortunate that their customers may have to pay extra, just so the store can
cover the cost. She said she has a message for the beer bandit.
"Couldn't
you just go out and get a job and buy your own stuff instead of stealing from a
small community like us?"
The sheriff's
department said they are investigating the burglary. The owner of the store has
another one in another county, that one had just been burglarized last week.
