Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Wichita Police have responded to a series of break-ins at local restaurants and bars recently. They believe the crime spree has come to an end after the suspects were caught after burglarizing the Pat ‘N Bros bar.

Co-owner Bob Anderson says the burglars used a pry bar to break into the bar.

Once inside, the burglars pried open a juke box, a cigarette machine and a cash register and helped themselves to what was inside. Anderson says it wasn’t much.

The thieves weren’t aware that the security system had summoned Anderson and called the police.

Two suspects were caught trying to get to their getaway car. Two others ran a couple blocks away. The sheriff’s dog sniffed one of the suspects out and the other was caught hiding in a basement.

“These individuals we feel are going to be responsible for a large series of burglaries,” said Wichita Police Captain Darrell Haynes.

Police say three of the four suspects arrested are parolees and that 45-year-old Scott Gilbert is the ring leader. Kansas Department of Corrections records show Gilbert has been in and out of prison since the mid-1980s with numerous burglary and theft convictions.

Police say they have recovered enough evidence to connect those arrested to 15 business break-ins since April.

“I like the fact they got caught. I work for a living. Maybe they ought to try it,” said Anderson.