Suspect arrested for six burglaries on Shepherd
HOUSTON
In order to break in to the businesses, the thief had to break windows and doors. All the victimized store owners said replacing those windows and doors is going to cost a lot more than the items stolen.
Sweeping up what's left of his front door is not exactly how Wendell Robinson expected to start his Monday.
"'Tis the season, I guess, but it is a nuisance," said Robinson, owner of a Houston Shoe Hospital.
An early morning thief rifled through the cash register at this Houston Shoe Hospital. The robber didn't find much before moving across the street to the Hot Bagel Shop, where he once again broke the door, and didn't leave with much.
"The only thing he got was a muffin and a bag of chips," said Mark Wicks, owner of the Hot Bagel Shop.
Houston police say Christopher Anderson is the suspected thief, and on Monday morning he allegedly hit at least six different stores along a busy strip of Shepherd, including Cafe Zol, the clothing store Project, and he even smashed the door at Jiffy Lube. The owner quickly rushed over.
"I saw that the back door had been shattered. I came into the store with the cops, and saw that they had taken some change from the cash register," said Kevin Lyng, owner of the Jiffy Lube store.
Police say Anderson carried a duffle bag with the stolen items, but he didn't get far.
"As they responded to each of those burglaries, they found the windows smashed in, and where the last one happened was where they found the suspect walking down the street," said Officer Melba Hogan of the Houston Police Department.
The suspect is now under arrest and most of the businesses have replaced their shattered glass. However, veteran store owners admit that burglars are just part of the reality of running a business.
"We've been here 25 years and it's not the first time it happened. It has to be the seventh or eighth window we've put in. It's just unfortunate," said Wicks.
Police believe Anderson could be responsible for more burglaries than the six stores hit on Shepherd.
