After a rash of robberies at San Juan Bautista businesses over
the last 18 months, many store owners reevaluated the way they
secured their property and took measures to deter would-be
thieves.
After a rash of robberies at San Juan Bautista businesses over the last 18 months, many store owners reevaluated the way they secured their property and took measures to deter would-be thieves.
The owners of Windmill Market and Neil’s Market installed video cameras after being robbed at gunpoint a few times in the past, while other business owners have placed barbed wire around their property.
Father’s Day 2002 was the last straw for the owners of Thank Goodness It’s Crafts at 81 Fourth St. On that day, the store was burglarized for the fourth time.
“The last time they got it they had cut the barbed wire fence in the back and I said that was it,” said Rita Williams, owner of the garden specialty store.
The store is now tightly locked up with razor-sharp screening over the windows and doors, Williams said.
Six months ago, a somewhat unusual style of break-in happened at County Bounty.
“They sawed in right through the wall,” said owner Angie Massey, who speculated that the burglar must have used a jigsaw.
The burglar entered through a skylight in a hallway, then cut a hole in the wall into the shop at 209 Third St. Once inside, they went through a back door that led them into the Bear Flag Gallery next door, where they exited another back door that led into the hallway.
Massey was also surprised to find merchandise moved out of the way instead of littering the shop floor.
“That was odd – they didn’t break a thing,” she said. “They were very polite about it.”
Les Anderson, owner of the Bear Flag Gallery next door, also thought it was unusual that none of the paintings were damaged.
“I had a stack of paintings leaning up against the door that they (the burglars) came through, but nothing was damaged. They just moved them out of the way,” he said. “That was strange.”
Anderson was surprised that nothing was taken, attributing the good fortune to a burglar alarm at County Bounty that went off.
Break-ins, shoplifters and counterfeit money are the most common crimes that affect San Juan businesses. Shoplifters are Anderson’s biggest problem – he said thousands of dollars worth of paintings and other items have been stolen from the gallery.
“It’s definitely a problem,” he said.
Anderson said thieves will walk right out with a painting while he’s with either the accomplice, who is posing as a customer, or a paying customer.
“They go out carrying a painting that is unwrapped, which doesn’t look that unusual because people often see an artist with their paintings and they aren’t wrapped up,” he said.
About a month ago, a sculpture valued at $1,500 was stolen from the gallery, but it went unnoticed and unreported for two days. Anderson said it is sometimes better not to report thefts to insurance companies because “They don’t always pay.”
Williams agreed, saying that if a business owner files too many insurance claims, they will find themselves without coverage.
In the last few months the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department has been posting crime reports at the San Juan Bautista Post Office. But, Williams said, the sheriff’s department is “pretty busy” and can’t provide constant surveillance.
“They do a good job, but we almost have to police ourselves,” she said.
San Benito County Sheriff Curtis Hill said burglaries are common to most cities and often run in spurts.
“San Juan Bautista enjoys a relatively low crime rate,” he said. “There are issues of vandalism and petty theft that occurs, like in any community. It’s (the burglars) usually someone with a drug problem. San Juan is fortunate they don’t have a lot of that.”
Hill said prudent business practices will help owners keep crime at a minimum. He encourages business owners to use technology such as video cameras.
“That’s money well-spent,” he said.
Williams said she would like to have a list of the types of crimes that are occurring rather than relying simply on word-of-mouth among business owners. She suggested that a “business alert” should be distributed among shop owners with a list of the signs to look for.
“We need to know if there is a break-in and how they got in so we can take steps to protect
ourselves,” Williams said.
Priscilla Hill, owner of Priscilla’s Special Stuff, said business owners in a small community like San Juan Bautista need to work together.
“We need to look out for one another,” she said.
But unlike Williams, Hill feels that word-of-mouth is an effective way of getting information about the burglaries to business owners.
“This is a town where word spreads like fire,” she said.
