String of break-ins strike Bonita Springs

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. – Just days before Christmas, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a burglar(s) responsible for breaking the front glass doors to five Bonita businesses.

Since the weekend, several businesses, mainly in the Bonita Beach Road and Imperial Parkway area have been hit in “smash and grab” type burglaries. The crook is smashing the front glass door with a rock and attempting to take anything of value in sight.

In most of the break-ins the burglar has not been successful in stealing anything, however the Lee County Sheriff’s Office says so much damage has been caused between the five different locations, they plan to charge the crook with a felony.

One business in the same plaza, who says they are fortunate they were not targeted by the thief, says the crime is frustrating and can be an inconvenience to local business owners.

“I don’t know why people do the things they do half the time, especially this time of year you got a lot of crazy stuff that happens the closer you get to Christmas,” Carlos Robinson, the manager of Tire Kingdom, said. “The owners are resilient people, I think they’ll bounce back. They have a good customer base, they have good food, so I don’t think it will be a problem for them.”

If you have any information about these break-ins or saw anything suspicious over the past few days in the area, you can call Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS.