MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A Grinch tried to ruin Christmas for one local business by stealing more than $2,000 worth of merchandise, but now store employees are using social media to try to find the suspect.
Monday at around 4am someone broke into Custom Care Inc. on Broadway Street in Myrtle Beach.
“It was my birthday and I walk into work and see a boarded up window and ask what happened,” said store manager Chelsea Gartner.
The suspect made off with quite a bit of merchandise.
“It would be $2,347 that he took,” she said.
The suspect stole several radios, but it was not just merchandise the store lost.
“He broke in right here and because it’s a tempered glass it’s over $1,200 to replace it,” said Gartner.
The suspect is not completely inconsiderate.
“He locked the door again on his way out,” said Gartner.
One thing the suspect must not have considered was the sign out front of the store notifying that there are cameras on the property.
According to the police report, Myrtle Beach officers took the surveillance video with them.
But Gartner took it a step further and posted the video to Facebook, she says she is hoping to get the community’s attention.
“That’s how people get caught so I just really am hoping that people will look at it and recognize him,” she said.
And it’s working in some capacity News 13 saw the video from a Facebook share.
The store does have insurance, but the loss of revenue during the holiday season is something they did not expect.
“For the next two weeks you’ve got to wait until the beginning or middle of January to get anything. So the poor people that actually want something, or need something, or they’re on the schedule, now they have to wait for it because we don’t have it anymore”
The police report describes the suspect as a white man about 20 to 30-years-old, standing approximately 5’ 8” to 5’ 11” and weighing from 160 to 190 pounds. Officers note the thief has long brown hair down to just below his ears. He was last seen wearing a jacket that’s red on top and black on the bottom half with a white line separating the two colors, a dark t-shirt, blue jeans and brown boots.
Anyone with information in connection with this burglary is asked to call Myrtle Beach Police at 843-918-1382.
