FORT PIERCE — Police are investigating three burglaries in downtown Fort Pierce on June 4 and 5, according to police officials and business owners.
Beach Bowls, the Hippie Hut, and Lorenzo’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, were all burglarized, according to Fort Pierce Police spokesperson Juliana Walker.
She said the Fort Pierce Police Department has stepped up patrols in the downtown area and is actively investigating the incidents.
Walker said initial investigations by officers point to the same person at each place.
Beach Bowls owner Michael Croke said the person broke the door into the eatery and an employee opening the shop called to tell him they thought the store was broken into. He told them he was having issues with the door handle the night before and assumed it was that, but when the employee sent him a photo of the door with a crack in it, he checked the cameras and saw someone breaking in.
Croke said based on the cameras in the store, the person came around 3 a.m. June 5. He said the person took $150 from the cash register and the key to their cash box before going into the bathroom, walking around the store, and going into the back office.
“It makes me nervous that something like that will happen again,” Croke said. “Sometimes I’m in a rush out of here and I forget to do the drawer and then all the cash is in there. But luckily I took my cash yesterday so they just had enough for change, basically.”
One of the owners of the Hippie Hut, Abbigail Gunther, said the person used an object that looked like a crowbar to get into the store around 11:30 p.m. on June 4. She said the key to the cash register and $3,200 worth of inventory was taken, which included pre-rolls, cannabis flower, lighters, and bracelets.
She said she walked into the store the next day and she could feel something was off because there were ashes on the ground and they were out of products that they are never usually out of. Gunther looked at her security tapes and saw the person walking around the store and even started smoking.
No other information was available Thursday.
Olivia Franklin is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Olivia on X @Livvvvv_5 or reach her by phone at 317-627-8048. E-mail her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Police investigating three burglaries in downtown Fort Pierce on June 4 and 5
Reporting by Olivia Franklin, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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