July 1, 2008 — The Susanville Police Department is struggling for answers as it investigates a string of break-ins that happened around town over a two-day period. More than $4,000 worth of items were stolen from at least three Main Street businesses on Sunday, June 22, and Monday, June 23.

SPD Captain Tom Downing said in a press release that he believes the crimes are linked.

“Based upon the relative proximity in time and matter in which each of these incidents occurred, it appears they are related,” Downing said. “I don’t have any hard evidence of this, but my experience tells me this is the case.”

Officially, the police are investigating three separate incidents of commercial burglary and two reports of vandalism.

The string of incidents started to gain attention around 10 p.m. on Sunday, June 22, and ended with the discovery of the final burglary at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 23.

The first incident began when SPD officers responded to a commercial alarm going off at Big-O Tires on Riverside Drive. The first officers at the scene found the front window of the business smashed. After searching the building, it was determined that nothing was missing.

The next incident occurred almost a half-hour later, when officers responded to a report of a vehicle window being broken out in the parking lot of Rose’s Café on Main Street.

At 12:22 a.m. on Monday, June 23, roughly an hour and a half after the vehicle break-in, officers responded to Fred’s Barber Shop on Main Street after receiving a report about a window being broken out of the building. Officers arrived on the scene to find the barbershop had been robbed. Items stolen included cash, jewelry, gold and silver coins and some barber equipment. The stolen items were valued at about $4,000.

At around 4:30 a.m. on Monday, June 23, an officer on patrol discovered a broken front window at Domino’s Pizza. Officers investigating the scene found that the cash drawer from the cash register was taken. About $250 was in side the drawer.

The final burglary was discovered at 8 a.m. on Monday June 23. Employees at the Beauty Corral called the SPD and reported they found a broken window overnight, as well as signs of someone entering the business. Officers concluded the place was in fact burglarized, with roughly $70. taken in cash taken.

As of right now, the police department has no leads.

“We have no suspects at this time,” Downing said. “We’re hoping to create some leads.”

Downing said a major factor as to why nothing was stolen from Big O Tires was due to it being the only business that had a commercial alarm system.

“It should be a common practice at this point, regardless of your business,” Downing said. “It’s essentially an insurance policy on your business.”

Police were able to gather some evidence from some of the crime scenes, and are currently working on leads.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the police department at 257-2171. Callers can remain anonymous if they wish.