DAMASCUS, Md. — Police are investigating after a Damascus store has been burglarized nearly five times in four months.
According to the Montgomery County Department of Police, the series of burglaries happened at the Stay Lit Smoke Shop on Ridge Road.
As of Nov. 27, there have been four reported burglaries at the store and one attempted burglary:
- August 6 at 12:35 a.m.
- August 25 at 4:30 a.m.
- September 17 at 3:35 a.m.
- September 24 at 4:00 a.m. (attempted)
- November 6 at 3:40 a.m.
"It just boggles the mind why this would happen over and over again," said Charlie Westbrook, a customer of the shop when he heard about the repeat burglaries.
Investigators say in each of the burglaries, between two and five people entered the business by smashing either the front door or front window with various objects. Once the suspects get inside, they took "assorted merchandise."
Police believe all the burglaries were committed by the same suspects and released surveillance video Monday.
Since the burglaries began, Owner Mickey Ray Sinatra says he has spent tens of thousands of dollars replacing the broken glass in the store. After the last break-in, a countertop is still shattered. Now Sinatra has added bars on the windows to try to prevent it from happening again.
Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives through Crime Solvers of Montgomery County at 1-866-411-8477 or online at www.crimesolversmcmd.org . Investigators are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspects involved.
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