SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Burglars target glass shop seven times in three weeks
Jun 26, 2018, 6:07 AM
This man was caught on camera breaking into Mary Jane's House of Glass. If you have any information about the suspect, contact the Federal Way Police Department. (Photo courtesy of Brandon Brock)
(Photo courtesy of Brandon Brock)
A Pacific Northwest glass shop has suffered at the hands of burglars seven times over the past three weeks.
Brandon Brock, owner of Mary Jane’s House of Glass, told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson that two of its 15 stores have been repeatedly hit by the same gang of burglars.
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“In the last three weeks, we’ve experienced three break-ins, four attempted, three successful,” Brock said of the Federal Way and Tumwater locations.
The burglars break in, then smash display cases and grab what’s inside. Brock said that the most devastating part is how much of the glass ends up broken.
“They’re breaking as much or more as they’re stealing,” he said.
The pieces that have been stolen or destroyed range from $200 to $6,000 in value, according to Brock. He is keeping an eye on Craigslist and Instagram to see if any of the taken items show up. Brock guesses that most of the items are being sold for a fraction of their value simply to feed a drug habit.
“It’s just insulting, with no respect, no regard for anyone,” Brock said.
Brock was able to provide Federal Way detectives with an image from the shop’s security camera and is hopeful that the perpetrators will soon be caught.
Still, he said that it’s “heartbreaking” to repeatedly discover break-ins when times are already tough for retail.
“We suffer the same way anyone in retail does, battling online and direct-to-consumer sales,” Brock said.
