Thieves made off with at least $30,000 in sporting goods after puncturing the roof of a business on Pemberton Square Boulevard in the latest break-in reported in a square mile in just more than a week.

&#8220I have no clue, really, as to how they got in,” said Dave Jones, the manager of Sports Center Inc. and Rex Team Sports.

Jones reported the break-in at 12:53 p.m. Sunday after he arrived to open and found the store’s alarm not working and glass broken on the floor inside.

Two holes were cut through the roof, where it is believed the intruders entered the building, and a hole had been drilled through a wall near the rear of the store.

Though police Capt. Mark Culbertson declined to link the two cases, a group of five stores at Vicksburg Factory Outlets was entered in a similar way in December in the middle of the night. He said he does not believe the crimes were committed by the same suspects, though he would not say why.

Since last Tuesday, nine business burglaries have been reported in an area near the Pemberton Square address.

Those break-ins – thefts were reported in some cases and not in others – were at businesses along Halls Ferry Road, which intersects with Pemberton Square, and along the North and South Frontage roads.

In the Sports Center break-in, numerous items ranging from auto racing-themed jackets, baseball bats, a baseball-pitching machine, rifle scopes, sunglasses and several hundred pairs of athletic shoes were taken. No weapons were reported stolen from the store, Culbertson said.

Police have continued heightened patrols because of the break-ins, he said.

&#8220We’ve maintained patrols at the time that we believe this happened. We just didn’t catch this one,” Culbertson said.

Police had no suspects at midmorning, he said.

A cash safe was also damaged and an undisclosed amount of money was taken. Store officials said the video surveillance system was also taken.

&#8220They even took the extra monitor that had nothing to do with surveillance,” Jones said.

Wade Craig, owner of the Pemberton Square Boulevard location and three other stores in Natchez, said the store would open for business today.

&#8220We will begin immediate restocking of the store today, hopefully, through transfers with the other stores,” Craig said.

Sports Center Inc. and Rex Team Sports has been in operation since 1946, with the Vicksburg location in business for a year. Sports Center moved across the street from Pemberton Square mall about six months ago, Craig said.