Barry County Sees Spike in Burglaries
November 30, 2022
Adriana Keeton
According to Detective Doug Henry with the Barry County Sheriff's office, there have been several businesses fall victim to "smash and grab" break-ins in Barry County over the last few weeks with Washburn, Exeter and Cassville being hot spots.
A "smash and grab" is where an individual(s) forces their way into a business, grabs as many items as possible and escapes quickly to avoid detection. In the majority of the instances throughout the county it appears the burglars are on foot or bicycle.
"Since November 14th ,we have had ten commercial break-ins in Cassville," Sergeant Donnie Privett with the Cassville Police Department said. "Last night (Nov. 29), we had three of those and are following up on leads now. It appears to be the same M.O."
"It appears to be a single individual committing the break-ins after the midnight hour," added Sergeant Privett. "From what footage we have been able to get, there are no vehicles involved, the individual is on foot, they are targeting mainly cash registers and the crimes are not central to one area, though the majority of the burglaries in Cassville have been along the Main Street corridor, south of the spotlight, on the east side of town."
Both Detective Henry and Sergeant Privett are advising the public stay vigilant and take every precaution to ensure businesses are protected.
It is recommended businesses invest in a working surveillance system that downloads to an off-site location, or if there is already a system in place, check cameras to ensure they are operating properly. Businesses may also consider a monitored alarm system.
It is also recommended that all cash, change, and important documents from registers and money boxes be removed and that safes should not be openly visible and should be locked and not able to be easily removed. Ensure there is good interior and exterior lighting as well and that items of value not be out where they are easily accessible. New business owners should also re-key locks after purchasing a new building.
Detective Henry has also stated it is a good idea to keep stock and save identifying numbers on items of value for identification if a burglary occurs.
Individuals with information regarding these crimes should report them to the Barry County Dispatch Center at 417-847-4911 or Crime Stoppers at 888-635-8477.
Any suspicious activity may also be reported to the Barry County Dispatch Center at 417-847-4911. If a crime in progress is witnessed, call 9-1-1.
According to Detective Doug Henry with the Barry County Sheriff's office, there have been several businesses fall victim to "smash and grab" break-ins in Barry County over the last few weeks with Washburn, Exeter and Cassville being hot spots.
A "smash and grab" is where an individual(s) forces their way into a business, grabs as many items as possible and escapes quickly to avoid detection. In the majority of the instances throughout the county it appears the burglars are on foot or bicycle.
"Since November 14th ,we have had ten commercial break-ins in Cassville," Sergeant Donnie Privett with the Cassville Police Department said. "Last night (Nov. 29), we had three of those and are following up on leads now. It appears to be the same M.O."
"It appears to be a single individual committing the break-ins after the midnight hour," added Sergeant Privett. "From what footage we have been able to get, there are no vehicles involved, the individual is on foot, they are targeting mainly cash registers and the crimes are not central to one area, though the majority of the burglaries in Cassville have been along the Main Street corridor, south of the spotlight, on the east side of town."
Both Detective Henry and Sergeant Privett are advising the public stay vigilant and take every precaution to ensure businesses are protected.
It is recommended businesses invest in a working surveillance system that downloads to an off-site location, or if there is already a system in place, check cameras to ensure they are operating properly. Businesses may also consider a monitored alarm system.
It is also recommended that all cash, change, and important documents from registers and money boxes be removed and that safes should not be openly visible and should be locked and not able to be easily removed. Ensure there is good interior and exterior lighting as well and that items of value not be out where they are easily accessible. New business owners should also re-key locks after purchasing a new building.
Detective Henry has also stated it is a good idea to keep stock and save identifying numbers on items of value for identification if a burglary occurs.
Individuals with information regarding these crimes should report them to the Barry County Dispatch Center at 417-847-4911 or Crime Stoppers at 888-635-8477.
Any suspicious activity may also be reported to the Barry County Dispatch Center at 417-847-4911. If a crime in progress is witnessed, call 9-1-1.