COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Division of Police is investigating at least six different break-ins reported at businesses across the city within two days of each other.
Early Saturday morning on Feb 24., break-ins were reported at Sherry’s Salon and Glamorous Nail Salon on Parsons Avenue, Xpress Multi Service off Sawmill Road and at Zeno’s on W 3rd Avenue in Victorian Village.
In the early morning hours of Monday Feb. 26, Zeno’s was struck by burglars again and owners said they also hit Quarry Co. Bar and Grill on Trabue Road which is owned by the same family.
Columbus police did not return a request for comment about whether the burglary investigations are related, but after Zeno’s was hit a second time, owner Quinn Allen posted surveillance images on social media and said he began to notice a pattern.
10TV obtained surveillance video from Sherry’s Salon, Glamorous Nail Salon, Xpress Multi Service and Zeno’s, which appears to show some of the same suspects at each location.
“We had multiple people who reached out who were suffering the same instances at their small businesses comparing contrasting surveillance videos pictures realized it was a lot of the same people methods and everything,” Allen said.
Allen said the suspects stole cash, the ATM machine, and some sentimental bottles, including one dedicated as a memorial to a late employee, Katie Fox.
“So big sentimental blow to us. The repairs, we are lucky enough to have the community we have at our back so we will be able to recover from that part but that sentimental piece of Katie that was in the bar always watching over us, that was pretty hard to absorb and rocked our community pretty hard,” Allen said.
Sherry, the owner of Sherry’s Salon said the suspects broke her door, but did not steal anything.
“That is another bill I gotta pay now,” she said. “It is ridiculous you work all your life and you got people wanting to break in.”
Allen is not sure why his or the businesses were targeted, but he has been working to take increased security measures, and hopes getting the word out could put a stop to the thefts.
“We can kind of take our licks make an insurance claim and be done with it but we want to make sure we are preventing this from happening to other people,” Allen said.