String of businesses burgled
COEUR d'ALENE - So what do businesses Figpickels Toy Emporium, Performance R/C Hobbies, Norm's Downtown Auto Body, Moon Time pub and restaurant, Salon Bella Dona and Louie's Insurance have in common?
Other than being in the city of Coeur d'Alene, the answer is they've all been victimized by burglars in the last week.
Sgt. Christie Wood of the Coeur d'Alene Police Department said minimal amounts of cash have been taken from a couple of the businesses, but nothing more.
Wood said there doesn't appear to be any clear target of the burglars. Several types of businesses have been hit all over town.
No arrests have been made in connection with the burglaries, she said.
"We have often found drugs to play a role in burglaries," Wood said. "Almost every suspect we have arrested in the past has admitted an addiction to drugs and the need for cash to purchase drugs as a motivation for the theft or burglary."
She said the city of Coeur d'Alene for 2010 has seen 53 business burglaries.
For all of 2009, the city had 67, which was up from 57 in 2008 and 49 for 2007.
At Performance R/C Hobbies, at 2928 N. Government Way, windows in front of the business were broken on Wednesday. After an initial inspection, nothing appeared to be missing. In a double dose of misfortune, though, a fire on Saturday night destroyed the store. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
At Figpickels, 312 E. Sherman Ave., a window was broken out of a rear door. Nothing was reported missing.
A window also was broken at Norm's, at 315 E. Coeur d'Alene Ave. Police said the burglar there attempted to steal a computer, but wasn't able to make off with it.
About $40 cash was taken from Salon Bella Dona, at 211 E. Lakeside Ave.
A burglar gained access to Louie's, at 505 N. Fourth St., by removing an air-conditioning unit. About $100 in cash was taken there.
At Moon Time, at 1602 E. Sherman, a window was broken out and the burglar gained access to the business. The burglar made a mess, though nothing was immediately reported to be missing, according to the police report.