Authorities continue to investigate string of business burglaries in Barneveld area
Story Created:
Jan 5, 2012 at 6:38 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Jan 5, 2012 at 6:44 PM EDT
BARNEVELD, N.Y. (WKTV) - The Oneida County Sheriff's Office is reporting a spike in business burglaries over the past few months.
Investigators say there have been approximately 15 break-ins over the past few months in rural areas of the county and they believe all of the cases are related - still with no leads or suspects.
Fitz Hardiman, owner of Adirondack Lanes in Barneveld, woke up on a Wednesday morning last month to a phone call from one of his employees, telling him that his business had been broken into. The burglars stole his ATM machine, broke into his change dispenser, and ran away with $640.
"Well, I was mad, you know, just wishing that we had been here or that he had stumbled across them when they were here," says Hardiman. "I just wish we could catch them, wish they left some evidence to be caught.
That is precisely the problem. The burglars have been breaking into businesses without leaving so much as a trace.
"They are very quick. In and out very quickly," says Lieutenant Jim McCarthy of the Oneida County's Sheriff Department. "They are not taking large items. It's pretty much cash only. In and out."
Hardiman had not bolted down the ATM to the floor, so he says the burglars would have been able to carry it out of the building easily. He still has not heard back from his insurance company regarding how much of the damages will be covered.
In order to prevent this from happening again, Lieutenant McCarthy is asking all residents to play a part in making the community safer.
"Especially people who are out and about in the morning hours, people going to work early, please be aware of any activity around these organizations or businesses and call 911," says Lt. McCarthy.
Hardiman says he is staying vigilant to ensure his business is not broken into again.
"I'll come up here in the middle of the night, because I won't be able to sleep and I only live a mile away," Hardiman said. "I'll take a drive by to check the building at five in the morning. Who knows...they might try again and I'll be coming by when they do."
3 Tins and Hudon's on Route 12 in Barneveld, Clinton Tractor, and America Legions in Boonville, Stittville, Westernville, and Waterville have also been burglarized.
Lieutenant McCarthy is urging all businesses to lock their windows and doors each night and make deposits at the bank frequently.
Most Popular