String of SV burglaries has police looking for leads

Scotts Valley police are investigating five burglaries of small commercial business on Scotts Valley Drive that occurred in the past month-and-a-half.
Scotts Valley Outdoor Power, Encore Fashion, Scotts Valley Tae Kwon Do, Classic Hair and Angles 5000 salon were each broken into and had cash and various items stolen.
“We’re bummed out,” Angles 5000 owner Maggie McReynolds said of her store’s July 18 burglary. “Everyone feels really violated.”
Between $4,500 and $5,000 in various items and cash, including 16 pairs of clippers and trimmers, were stolen from the shop.
“They tossed the place,” Reynolds said. “It looked like an earthquake in here.”
Reynolds said in the 10 years she has owned the shop, there’s never been a burglary. Sometimes, employees would even leave doors unlocked or open when they went home for the evening.
“They had a false sense of security — that’s now gone,” she said.
The burglaries began with the theft of a generator valued at $1,800 from Scotts Valley Outdoor Power on June 3. Next, Encore Fashions was broken into June 17, followed by cash and a computer being taken from Scotts Valley Tae Kwon Do on June 20.
Finally, on July 18, both Classic Hair and Angles 5000 were ransacked.
“Six commercial burglaries in 1½ months is higher than we’re used to, but it’s not astronomical,” Sgt. Jayson Rutherford said.
However, the proximity of the burglaries leads police to believe it is the same person or persons are committing the crimes.
“Five of the six commercial burglaries (since June 1) are on the 5000 block of Scotts Valley Drive,” Rutherford said.
There were also three residential burglaries within a month in small neighborhoods in the Granite Creek area.
Burglars struck homes on June 3, June 10 and July 5. In the first burglary, tools were taken from an open garage. In the following two, the homes were broken into.
It does not appear the residential burglaries are related to the commercial burglaries because of the separate locations, Rutherford said.
“We have a few leads and we’re doing everything we can to identify somebody,” Rutherford said.
Rutherford added that police are looking for additional tips, and they encourage anyone with information to call 438-8090.