Cigarettes taken in convenience store break-in
SUMMIT TWP — Three masked burglars made off with a garbage bag full of cigarettes in an early morning break-in Wednesday at a Summit Township store.
State police are investigating the burglary at Widenhofer's Convenience Store on Route 422.
Trooper William Nadolsky said the suspects struck at 3:06 a.m. and were all dressed in black hooded sweatshirts and wearing gloves and facial coverings. The trio forced open a locked door, possibly with a pry bar.
The break-in triggered the store's burglar alarm, but it was not enough to immediately scare off the crooks.
“They went directly to the cigarettes behind the counter,” Nadolsky said.
While one of the burglars held open a garage-type bag, the other two swept dozens of packs of cigarettes — no matter the brand — into it.
“They took all the cigarettes they could,” Nadolsky said.
Store owner Joe Widenhofer noted that he just stocked the shelves Tuesday and guessed 100 packs were taken.
“That's a loss of around $1,000,” he said.
The masked threesome apparently took nothing else and wasted little time in the store. Investigators did not know if the suspects fled on foot or by getaway vehicle.
“They were in maybe a minute,” Nadolsky said, before beating it out the door.
“They knew what they were doing,” Widenhofer added.
Investigators have some images from at least one surveillance camera, but they said the quality is not good.
Police said it appeared one of the suspects' sweatshirts had a white line down each sleeve and all three might have been wearing red work gloves.
Widenhofer was upset about what happened, noting that along with the loss in smokes, he has to pay for a new door and door jamb — no small expense for the owner of a small business.
“Tell these guys to get a job,” he said, referring to the culprits, “and not to mess with someone trying to make an honest living.”
Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to call state police at 724-284-8100.
