The loss in money and damage repairs is extremely high for the owner of Simply Frosted in Northwest Fresno. She tells Action News twice now in just a few weeks someone has walked up, looked through her windows, and then smashed their way inside.
"It's upsetting. You're angry, you want to cry. You can't do anything about it," Melissa Garone said was she watched the surveillance video. "I realize whatever he's going to take is going to hurt financially."
Garone released the video to Action News in hopes of catching this crook. "I don't know if that person has been in my store before," she said. "I don't know if they're watching my employee patterns. Obviously they're watching when I'm open, when I'm closed."
The break-in happened early Thursday morning. At about 3:36 a.m. you see a man on the surveillance video throw what appears to be a rock at the door. When the rock bounces back he kicks in the glass then crawls right inside.
What he does next, Garone says, is proof he had this all planned out. You see the man ignore everything except for the small black drop-safe beneath the register. He pries that off the counter and then he pulls the cash out of the register, stealing more than a thousand dollars.
"It's very frustrating because you want to do something about it," Garone said. "You see the physical person doing this, you're helpless."
Garone also spent more than $800 replacing her shop's door after both break-ins. "And what it does to you and your sense of security. It leaves you feeling vulnerable," she said.
This week's burglary only lasted about two minutes. Unfortunately, there's not a good shot of the burglar's face. You can see he appears to be wearing gloves, a hood held on by a ball cap and possibly a bandana over his face.
A Garone just hope she doesn't become a victim three times over. Her small budget she says just can't take another hit. "In today's economy when you're trying to keep your doors open as long as possible, it's very frustrating," she said.
We talked with Fresno police about the crime. They say there have not been other similar crimes in the area recently.
