PHILLIPS – When Kim Blais opened the Bear Hill Variety Store at 5 a.m. Tuesday she found cigarettes all over the floor. She called the police and then her dad, store owner Bud Richmond of Madrid.
Richmond said, “I knew when she called at 5 a.m. that there had been a break-in.”
“It will take months for us to recover from it,” said Blais.
Blais, Bear Hill Variety Store manager, said that between $700 and $800 worth of cigarettes and cigars were stolen overnight on Monday. “And they seemed to like their menthols.”
According to Blais, this is the third break-in at the store on Route 4 in Phillips.
In November of 2000, $3,500 worth of cigarettes and beer was stolen. In January of 2003, $2,500 worth of merchandise was stolen in January 2003.
This week’s burglary, through a back window, has prompted Richmond to install a security system to deter future break-ins. The window, which is more than 8 feet off the ground, remains covered with plywood from the inside. It housed an exhaust fan that must be repaired.
The burglars likely left via a side window rather than the higher back window, and in the process, destroyed its screen.
“We were cleaned out of salable product until our regular deliveries, so it will greatly impact our customers for the next few days,” said Richmond.
Blais said, “They don’t know how hard it is for a little business like this to recover from a break-in. After the first break-in, the insurance went from $800 to more than $2,500.”
Blais has decided against filing a claim with her insurance to avoid further premium increases, which could reach $5,000 dollars if she filed this claim.
“Absolutely, there is nothing else I can do. I will have to eat the cost of the break-in again. And we were just beginning to recover from the January one.”
According to Deputy David Rackliffe of the Franklin County Sheriff’s office, Monday’s burglary is still under investigation. He said, “No individuals are targeted as suspects at this time. But we do have a number of leads.”
Blais was clear; she will prosecute and will seek restitution for her losses. “Just giving them a slap on their hand isn’t doing it.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.