Another Manitou Springs business burglarized
MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- It happened again, yet another Manitou Springs local business has been burglarized. This time, the target was The Keg Lounge on Manitou Ave.
"That's the most bothersome thing because all these places are mom and pop shops," Keg Lounge owner Matthew Milar said. "All these people are good people."
Milar and his wife, Rachel, run the Keg Lounge. Sunday, someone snuck through a window and broke into the restaurant, stealing more than $1,000 from an area by the safe.
The break-in was captured on video. The Milars say the man in the video used a ladder to climb into the restaurant through an open window that had an air conditioner. Once inside, the uninvited person tried but failed to get into the register.
Later the burglar broke into the business office in the back where the safe was. While the safe was closed, a bank bag was peering out through it, allowing the burglar to make off with Sunday's revenue.
This isn't the first burglary in the area.
The Pikes Peak Area Crimestoppers issued a $500 reward on Oct. 11 for information on a man suspected of breaking into two other Manitou shops. According to the Manitou Springs Police Department, someone broke in and vandalized two businesses, resulting in roughly $4,000 worth of damages.
That suspect was described as a 5'8" white man with a thin build. He was seen wearing a white beanie and a white winter jacket with reflect bands on the sleeves.
Milar told KRDO the recent string of crimes is not the Manitou he knows.
"We've been here for 35 years and there's only been once or twice that I know that I know of where we've actually had somebody break-in," he continued. "We've even had a bartender leave the door unlocked one night, and a regular came in, poured himself a drink, and then locked up and went home. There's a safety that you feel in Manitou, that somebody is jeopardizing."
Milar is convinced it's the same guy wreaking havoc on the community.
"People don't break into businesses in Manitou, Milar said. "The fact that so many places were hit within such a small time frame, makes you think that it's either one guy or a group of people that are somehow organized together."
Police haven't publicly confirmed whether or not it's the same person, though Milar said officers that responded to their burglary call thought it may be.
Now, Milar wants the thief to know that they are not stealing from the owners, they're taking money from workers who need it.
"They're locals, the guy stole tips that were for cooks, you know, so he wasn't just stealing from the business he was stealing from employees, people that live paycheck to paycheck."
Anyone with information on this robbery, or the other break-ins, can contact the Pikes Peak Area Crime Stoppers at (719)-634-7867 or online.
To reach the Manitou Springs Police Department, call (719)-685-5407.
