Lebanon Express writer

Money was stolen and a safe was damaged during a break-in last week at Vinnie's Natural Living, 65 W. Grant St.

An employee, Stephanie Deckert, found the front door pried open at about 9 a.m. on Jan. 25. Deckert called the police and then store owner Vince Wells, who was at work at Key Bank.

"Basically they (the store) were entered sometime overnight and an undisclosed amount of money was taken," said LPD officer Karin Taylor.

"It looks like they were just after cash," Wells said Friday morning about what he described as a "grab and go" act. No merchandise appeared to be disturbed, but the store's cash register drawers were torn out and emptied in the back of the store. Wells' office was ransacked and a safe, which contained a day or two of deposits, was actually taken apart.

"The insides of the safe are just ripped apart back there," he said. The burglar or burglars must have had some difficulty, as small amounts of blood were found on the safe and papers.

At about 11 a.m., LPD officer Alan Barker was still dusting for prints and examining items. Wells' friend, Josh Fair, put out a letterboard that said "Closed due to burglary" and explained the situation to customers.

The good news was that the perpetrator left the store's computers alone. "Thank God my data and financial stuff is probably OK because the computers weren't taken," Wells said.

This wasn't the first run-in with crime at the store. In September, one of the store's large windows was broken, but nothing inside was disturbed. A few weeks ago, Wells' car and another vehicle, which were parked outside Vinnie's, were broken into and had items stolen - while Wells was inside the building.

Because Friday's burglar or burglars only seemed interested in cash, and not anything they would have to resell, Wells thinks the act may have been fueled by drugs.

"My initial thought is, meth head, tweakers," he said. "Obviously, they don't care who they hurt or what they go through."

Wells said he will no longer keep deposits in the safe. He also plans to beef up security. The building does have an alarm, but it wasn't hooked up at the time of the burglary. Before the police had left the scene Friday morning, a security company representative had already arrived to discuss security options.

Wells, who grew up in Lebanon, said he rarely worries about his personal safety in town, but the recent acts concern him.

"Seems like the last few years I've seen a lot of ugliness," he said.

Sgt. Martinez said there is a frequent police presence in the Second Street and downtown area.

"I'd say they probably get more patrol than the average person in Lebanon," he said. Martinez hasn't noticed a rise in burglaries in the area.

"It's been pretty quiet for downtown burglaries recently," he said.

Wells estimated the total loss at about $5,000, but noted, "That doesn't really begin to take into account the time to get things back up."

Reward for info

Vince Wells is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the Jan. 25 burglary. If you have any information, contact the Lebanon Police Department at 451-1751.