Burglary attempt at Stompin Grounds came for refill

Kim Broadhead is convinced the extension ladder in the yard behind Stompin Grounds last Sunday morning meant someone was just steps away from burglarizing her again. The December 26 taking of her cashbox, with its $170 opening drawer, and a heavy, leaded glass vase with its hummingbird etching also came before dawn.

Broadhead walked into her shop 6:45 a.m. Sunday morning, dropped her purse, looked out the south window toward Road Street and saw a ladder in the grass. She assumed that someone spotted the ladder carriers – or the would-be burglars saw others nearby. First light Sunday was about 6:20 a.m.

Broadhead ran upstairs to see if the window was broken. It wasn’t. Since it was locked, entry required breaking it. She recalled the bathroom door had been pulled open in December to block light shining out.

Broadhead believes the ladder in the yard came from a house a couple of blocks away. Friend Turine Higgins saw a similar ladder in a yard before Sunday. That ladder is missing now, Broadhead said. That ladder has been in that yard for a couple of months, about since the time of the burglary.

The first time, “I was burgled – not robbed,” she said. Not a robbery – that is when a person is held up, she said. The shop was empty the morning of the December theft. Entry was through the second-floor window, unlocked because of an extension cord to the outside. “Here’s the deal,” she said. “I think it’s someone with knowledge of this building. I mean, it’s La Conner.”

She thinks a local person had seen the extension cord and the unlocked window. “That’s not obvious to any customer coming in, she said.” Because the December theft was “pretty easy for them, they tried it again. I am guessing,” Broadhead surmised. And she has the sense the thief was returning – and knows her.

She noted the burglar was “very respectful,” lifting her credit card reader off the cashbox and setting it on the counter after taking the cashbox. “They didn’t break anything,” she said. “It wasn’t like a vandalism. They didn’t take coffee or goodies.” Going back down the ladde,r they spilled the cashbox’s coins.

Broadhead called the Weekly News to get the word out. “If they’re going to do it to me, other businesses need to be aware. People can take a little extra precaution. Be diligent,” she advised. While she called the Sheriff’s Office last time, this time she did not.

She suggests to claim the ladder, contact the Weekly News at 119 North Third Street.