Store offers reward to find burglars (PHOTOS)

Published 6:43 pm Wednesday, July 16, 2014

7-17 Piggly Wiggly machines WEB

Stanley Garrett has a problem and he is offering a reward to solve it. Three people in a Hummer H3 sport utility vehicle broke into vending machines outside his Brundidge Piggly Wiggly grocery store early Tuesday morning.

“It hurts you a little bit to see people just do what they want to do with no concern for anyone else,” Garrett said.

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Armed with crowbars, the thieves popped open the machines and emptied their contents in just two minutes and 45 seconds.

“They made about $60 in two and a half minutes,” Garrett said. “That’s pretty good money.”

Tuesday made the seventh time the machines had been burgled. After the first two times Garrett got rid of the machines altogether. But, customers missed them and asked him to bring them back.

Since returning the machines, Garrett has done what he could to secure them. “We’ve had chains on them and padlocks. They just tear all of that off,” said Garrett.

The machines have an alarm on them. Police were notified during Tuesday morning’s incident. Garrett says they arrived just after the thieves drove away.

Video surveillance caught the men in action and Garrett posted the footage on his Facebook page. Two white men hop out of the luxury SUV and commit the crime. Garrett said a third person drove the vehicle. “You can see the vehicle move while both of them are out,” he said.

Brundidge police officers check the Main Street store throughout the night. Before the alarm and surveillance, it was hard to tell when the machines had emptied. Thieves would lock the machines back up after emptying them.

Garrett said two of the seven thefts were solved and perpetrators arrested. He hopes to improve his average. Garrett offered $100 in groceries as a reward for information that leads to their arrests.

Anyone with information may contact the Brundidge Police Department at 735-3333.