Last December thieves cut through the gyprock wall separating The Tale of the Whale from the hallway of the building on Otter Point Road.
The brazen thieves then reached in, opened the door and made off with thousands of dollars worth of native-carved bracelets. Now it has happened again and Gary Petersen, owner of The Tale of the Whale is wondering if it is all worth it.
He thinks it was the same thieves as before, although he cannot prove it.
This time the culprits sawed through the other side of the door. Petersen thought he would be safe after he boarded up the inside of his store with heavy duty wood. He just never thought they would try the other side of the door frame. The store does have an alarm but no camera – yet.
Once inside, the thieves managed to quickly sweep up rings and smaller items which would not be so easy to identify. They also wore latex gloves. They had entered the store at 1:23 a.m. on Monday, June 8. The police arrived at 1:39 a.m. The timing is about the same as the December 15 break-in.
“It’s one of those things that drive you crazy, twice in six months,” said Petersen.
Petersen will have to pay the insurance deductible and will not recover anywhere close to what the items are worth.
The female person, who previously stole from him, was apprehended back then and was charged and has been out on bail but has not yet gone through the court system. Petersen was able to describe the stolen goods.
“Our justice system! Allowing this person out on bail, after so many offenses!” Petersen exclaimed.
Petersen has lost about $5,000 worth of rings and pendants.
“My expenses are already high,” he said. Petersen pays $3,000 per month in rent and his insurance costs him $1,760 per year.
He was so frustrated he told this paper that we could just run the same story because it is identical.
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After several weeks, call Crime Stoppers back, giving your confidential tip code number and you will receive an update on the status of the investigation.
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