Palm Desert business owners voice frustrations after break-ins
A few business owners are frustrated after a string of break-ins early Thursday morning in Palm Desert as Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies continue to search for two burglary suspects.
Deputies were first notified about a burglary at approximately 3:00 a.m. along the 77700 and 77900 blocks of Country Club Drive in a business district near the freeway and just west of Washington Street.
Officials believe two previous burglaries at approximately the same time are believed to related.
Deputy Robin Flores say deputies later found the suspects’ car abandoned.
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Shattered glass is all that’s left after thieves targeted three businesses in a Palm Desert shopping area, all breaking in through the front door.
“Pretty bad…violated and it’s just not fair that people can just be doing things. Damage like that,” Elenora Malachowska, owner of Karen’s Cafe, said.
Malachowska says she was livid to find her front door smashed in and found the cash register on the floor, but nothing was taken. She says the burglar came in after breaking into the business next door causing damage requiring costly repairs.
“It will be expensive yes and replacing any window and any door is very very expensive,” she said.
In surveillance footage taken from Exquisite Desserts, a man in a hooded sweatshirt is seen smashing a window, shaking the register before fleeing without taking anything.
At Victor’s Mexican Food nearby a cash register was stolen. The owner says a man also seen with a hooded sweatshirt was caught on camera breaking in with a large rock and taking the register. He says the damage and the cash lost will cost him thousands of dollars, no small change for his restaurant.
“Being only four months open, it not like I have resources to be like ‘Let’s just pay it’. Our money is really tight being recently open,” Victor Casteneda, owner of Victor’s Mexican Food, said.
Deputies believe the break-ins are connected. Both owners say they want to see the burglars be held responsible.
“To start, send him to jail for a few months so he can learn his lesson or something,” Casteneda said.
“Have to find a way to find those people and punish them and just I don’t wish anybody to go through what I’m going through,” Malachowska said.
