Originally published in the print edition of Yellowstone County News.
HUNTLEY PROJECT — People whose businesses and homes have been broken into during a recent wave of burglaries are frustrated, anxious and angry about the thefts.
No one had been arrested by presstime Wednesday, as business owners who lost cash and merchandise and homeowners who lost dozens of different items turned to security footage looking for clues.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Mike Linder urged residents to be vigilant, looking for anything that semed out of place, and reminded people to lock up their vehicles and buildings (see related story.)
Many people turned to social media to discuss the crimes and attempt to determine who may have committed them.
Nikol Twitchell, who owns Bar T Restaurant and Saloon on Worden’s Main Street, said Wednesday that the thieves broke into her restaurant on Sunday night.
She said they “cut the camera lines and unplugged cameras,” but some cameras remained functional, “so we got some good shots of them.”
The people who broke in seemed to know what they were looking for and where to find it, she said.
And, someone came back later Monday, apparently looking for some items they left behind, she said, so employees believe they identified a suspect vehicle.
Twitchell is frustrated that a group of people appears to be using criminal activity as steady income, judging by the number of businesses that have been burglarized.
“It’s crazy the amount of alcohol they’re taking,” she said.
It’s business as usual at the restaurant, except they’re eyeing the customers more carefully. She said they’ve gone over previous video footage and noticed several people who seem to have been casing the restaurant.
“That’s all you can do, is just keep going,” Twitchell said. “You can’t let them knock you down.”
At Tiger Town in Ballantine, a spokeswoman said video footage shows people get out of a car early Sunday morning and throw a brick at a window of the store. The window doesn’t break, alarms sound and the people flee in the car.
A Valley Farmers Supply spokeswoman, citing the ongoing investigation by the Yellowstone County sheriff’s department, declined to comment on Tuesday but said no one had been able to gain entry to the company’s buildings in Worden.
The Dark Horse on Main Street in Worden and the Finish Line Bar in Ballantine were also among the businesses burglarized in the past two weeks.
Huntley Project Schools Superintendent Mark Wandle said no one had damaged any school property, either buildings or vehicles.
In Huntley, the Pryor Creek Bar and Grill on Northern Avenue reported a theft on Thursday night, Oct. 5.
Several homes and vehicles were burglarized in the Pryor Creek Subdivision over the weekend. Pryor Creek Golf Club owner Joe Link said although some homeowners reported thefts of guns, keys, garage door openers and golf clubs, the clubhouse was not targeted. Someone opened the door to a van in the parking lot over the weekend, Link said, but nothing was taken.
