Downtown break-in Friday afternoon
Andrea Macko, Staff Reporter A quiet drama played out in downtown St. Marys on Friday afternoon. At about 1:30, Buck or Two owner Karen Robertson was returning to her office through a door to the stockroom at the rear of her store, when a man exited the door, looking for help in finding air fresheners.
While Robertson says that the door to the stockroom is labelled “employees only,” customers do occasionally come through it for help.
“I thought nothing of it,” says Robertson of the request, “but I’m so angry now.”
After showing him where the air fresheners were, Robertson made her way back to her office. It was then that she noticed the safe door was open.
“The only thing you can think is ‘oh my God,’” says Robertson. “I squatted down and it was cleaned out.”
She first asked her staff if anyone purchased an air freshener. When the answer was negative, the police were called.
St. Marys OPP acting Sgt. Scott Bentley says that the suspect “is not obviously local,” and that he is still at large. A description has gone out to other detachments.
“The people that do this are very good at it,” Bentley explains, adding that they are aware that cash is on-hand. Smaller communities are more at risk, he adds, “because they trust people more.”
The thief made off with an undisclosed amount of money, but it could have been worse, Robertson says. “I feel that he was interrupted,” she says, because her purse and wallet near the safe were untouched, and the cashiers weren’t affected.
But it also could have been worse in another way, she believes; “as we walked through the store (after he left), we noticed a crowbar where he would have walked...”
Robertson says she didn’t get a good look at the suspect. “When you meet someone at a door, it goes so fast.” The OPP describe the suspect as a white male in his late 20s to early 30s, 5 ft. 0 to 5 ft. 4 in. tall, thin build, dark dirty blonde hair, and wearing grey jogging pants and a grey hooded
sweatshirt.
That the safe wasn’t damaged in the robbery “brings up a lot of questions,” says Robertson. She explains that the store safe operates on a “day lock” system, because it is used throughout the day due to the volume of coins and people coming through the store.
“You have to know which way to flip the knob to make it open,” she says.
Past and present employees would know how to work the safe, she explains.
“He only had a matter of seconds (to steal the cash),” Robertson says, noting that staff had just passed through the storeroom to head out for lunch prior to the theft, and that she herself spends a lot of time in her office.
 Whether an employee passed the information to the thief, or if he had been in the storeroom before are the two disconcerting options Robertson is facing in why the robbery happened.
“We’ve been here for six years...so you get a little complacent,” she says.
“You’re here six days a week, trying to do your best for the community, then
you get taken advantage of,” she says of the theft.
But, as bad as the crime was, a good Samaritan brightened her outlook over
the weekend. Robertson’s husband Bruce, who owns and operates the V&S store
in town, told a regular customer on Friday about the break-in; the older
gentleman often stops to chat with Bruce at the store.
On Sunday, the man — who the Robertsons prefer remain anonymous — returned
to the V&S with his chequebook to cover the money lost in the theft.
“It was just amazing,” says Robertson. “It made us feel a little
uncomfortable,” she says of the gift. “People don’t usually reach out to you
like that,” she adds, “we went from one extreme to the other — there is
still good in the world.”
Robertson says that the theft is “a lesson learned” in terms of keeping the
store secure. While she notes that the store has had its fair share of
shoplifting, she is hoping that employees will become more aware of who is
in the store, and for how long; the thief was “lurking,” she says, for quite
some time before committing the crime.
And as for the safe, Robertson says “we won’t ever have it on the day lock
ever again.”
She would also like other downtown merchants to keep a closer eye on their
back entries (if they have them), as well as who is coming in and out of
their stores.
“It’s all part of being in business — the good and the bad,” she says. “But
the longer we’re here, the more I realize that you can’t trust everyone —
and it’s sad.”
Bentley adds that businesses should be aware of customers wanting to use
washrooms while in a store, because they are usually located near offices.
He encourages stores to keep back offices locked during the day if possible,
and to call the OPP if they see someone suspicious, because, while they may
not be committing a crime at the time, they may be wanted for something
else.
If you have any information related to this crime, call Constable McTaggart
at the Sebringville OPP at 519-393-6123, or, if you wish to remain
anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (1-800-222-8477).