Burglar hits stores in spree downtown

Published 4:00 pm Saturday, July 17, 2004

A local ‘person of interest’ was detained Friday morning, detectives say.

At least 10 downtown businesses were hit in an after-hours burglary spree Thursday night or early Friday.

A “person of interest” described only as a Bainbridge Island man was detained and awaiting questioning, Bainbridge Police Detective Scott Anderson said.

Businesses hit included Casa Rojas restaurant, Streamliner Diner, a private photo studio behind the diner, the Bead Garden, Island Ice Cream, Bainbridge Styling Salon, Metrion Coffee/Shop, Cafe Nola, Colagreco’s Deli, and Madison Avenue Photo in Winslow Green.

Reports of the burglaries came in Friday morning, as merchants and employees arrived for work. That cleared the police station, as a phalanx of officers canvassed downtown for information and clues.

“In some cases, we discovered the burglaries prior to when the merchants opened,” Anderson said.

The burglar forced open business doors, and in at least two cases, broke into vacant storefronts and then smashed through interior walls to reach the business next door.

Most stores lost from $200-$400 in loose cash from their tills, although one business reported the attempted breach of its safe; damage to business doors and walls was estimated at around $3,000.