Missing cigarettes, cash tills link in city, county burglaries

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Whatever the cause, a string of 16 similar business burglaries has been reported in the city and the county in the past month.

Starting March 21, mainly convenience stores along U.S. 61 North and South have been hit for cigarettes, cash and even empty cash registers.

Vicksburg Police Lt. Bobby Stewart and Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said their departments are working together on the cases and they believe at least half are related.

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The federal tax on cigarettes rose 62 cents to $1.01 on April 1, but wholesalers increased prices a few weeks earlier. With the hike, premium brands are about $4.50 per pack.

Stewart said 150 to 200 cartons of cigarettes and three cash registers have been stolen in the city burglaries.

In the county, Oak Park Bestway at 6110 Indiana Ave., reported $545 worth of cigarettes missing on April 11. On the same day, Morgan’s Shell at 1795 Mississippi 27 reported an undisclosed quantity of cigarettes missing.

Zips convenience store, 300 Goodrum Road, reported a cash register and cartons of cigarettes missing at 2:15 Monday morning.

On Wednesday, Bill Harris Real Estate, 100-D Pear Orchard Drive, reported a leather couch, a saw, a generator and a battery were missing.

In each of the burglaries, Pace said, the thieves broke out plate glass windows, triggering alarms, then grabbed cigarettes and empty cash registers and fled.

Stewart said Monday that police are stepping up patrols around convenience stores on the outer edges of town. He said surveillance videos and stores indicate the culprits are two black males.

In the city:

* Zips, 887, U.S. 61 North: $400 in cigarettes and a cash register were taken Saturday.

* 61 Quick Stop, 5738 U.S. 61 North: $122 in cigars and a cash register were taken Sunday.

* Jubilee Smoke Break, 4749 U.S. 61 South: $320 in cigarettes and a cash register were taken Monday morning.

* Dollar General, 4000 U.S. 61 South: an attempt was made to take a cash register Monday morning.

* BP gas station, 3595 U.S. 61 South: chips and $250 in cigarettes were missing April 10.

* Chevron gas station, 4306 Halls Ferry Road: $200 in cigarettes were taken April 10.

* Honeyz, Scentz & Fashionz, 3427 Halls Ferry Road: $310 in blue jeans were missing April 9. About $3,000 in merchandise had been taken from the same store on March 21, but Stewart said he doesn’t know if the store burglaries are related to the convenience store burglaries.

* Innovative Autowerks, 3508 Manor Drive: auto stereo equipment was taken Saturday.

* Port Mart Texaco, 1775 N. Washington St.: $1,755 in cigarettes and $230 in beer were missing Monday.

* Shell Jubilee, 25 Fisher Ferry Road: $650 in candy and cigarettes and $350 were missing March 27. Vicksburg police arrested two men in this burglary, but Stewart said he did not believe it was linked to the other burglaries.

* Gibson Monuments, 6434 U.S. 61 South: computer software valued at $4,000 and $200 in cash were taken Sunday.

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Contact Manivanh Chanprasith at mchanprasith@vicksburgpost.com