Police seek suspects in charities’ burglaries

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview Police Department seeks leads after two charity-run stores were burglarized a day apart from each other.

On the morning of Jan. 19, officers responded to a call of a reported burglary at the Exodos Ministries thrift store — 696 Ferdon Blvd. N — that had apparently occurred the previous night.

Store employees reported they noticed one of the roll-up exterior doors had been forced open while the second roll-up door had been forced up about a foot.

A door between the storage area and the retail area had also been forced open, employees discovered, and more than $200 in cash was missing.

The store owner estimated replacing the damaged roll-up door would cost $3,000, and the broken interior door would cost $200 to replace.

Investigators are coordinating with Moulton’s Pharmacy, located next door to the shop, to obtain security video of the parking lot between the businesses.

That night, burglars struck the Goodwill store a block up the street from Exodos Ministries’ shop, apparently climbing into a fenced-in storage area behind the 793 Ferdon Blvd. N business and forcing the gate open from the inside.

The burglars made off with 15 donated bicycles with an estimated value of $300, a store manager reported.

Sgt. Ray Harp of the Crestview Police Investigations Division says while there are similarities in the burglar or burglars’ methods, including forcing open gates and doors, it is not known if the crimes are related. Both incidents are under investigation.

"To steal 15 bicycles, you’d need to be kind of organized," Harp said. "You’d need a trailer or big enough truck to haul them away. With the other burglary (at Exodos), they just took cash."

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Crestview Police Investigations Division at 682-4157.

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Police seek suspects in charities’ burglaries