GRANITE CITY, Ill. (First Alert 4) – Business owners believe the same person is responsible for a string of thefts at multiple Metro East businesses in Granite City and Pontoon Beach, with some incidents captured on surveillance video.
Among the targets was Chocolate Covered Creations, a cafe in Granite City, where a thief stole a customer’s purse approximately two weeks ago. Surveillance video shows the suspect entering the cafe, lingering near the counter, taking a woman’s purse and walking out.
“This young man came in and first he went up as if he was going to order,” said Rebecca Bradford, manager at Chocolate Covered Creations.
Bradford said she and her staff reviewed surveillance footage from Si Senor Mex Mex Grill and recognized the suspect.
“Yes, it looked just like him in my opinion,” Bradford said.
Charity donations stolen at Granite City restaurant
At Si Señor Mex Mex Grill in Granite City, surveillance cameras recorded a man and an accomplice in the parking lot on a Saturday, arriving to pick up and deliver a DoorDash order. The pair returned later. While one distracted the owner, the other stole a customer’s food order and a charity donation jar containing $60 from the bar.
The stolen donations were intended for Mosaic Health, a nonprofit pregnancy resource center in Granite City.
“It’s terrible,” said Hector Emiliano, an employee at Si Senor Mex Mex Grill. “These people, they don’t got anything better to do.”
Community impact
Bradford said the theft was hurtful for the customer and the business.
“It personally hurts my feelings because this is a community. And almost everyone knows everybody. We want this to be a safe family place,” she said.
Anyone with information about the identity of the suspects is asked to call police.
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