Boarded up windows along Pollasky Avenue are reminders of one crime and a crime that could have been. Early Monday, someone smashed the window at Jackson Jewelers. Police responded after an alarm went off but before the suspects they could take anything.
That wasn't the case at the Clovis Sports Shop late last week. "They weren't here long enough to just grab stuff. They grabbed certain pieces and were gone," said owner Brad Stoops. Stoops said the thieves took four game-worn, autographed helmets that were signed by former 49ers. Their combined value: more than $12,000.
Earlier this summer, a smash and grab burglar was captured on the Action News Old Town Clovis Skycam in the wee hours of the morning. That time, jewelry cases were emptied from the business and more than $100,000 worth of jewelry was stolen.
The most recent incidents also happened early in the morning. "They both took place just before 2:00 a.m. The one last week and the one this week," said Janet Stoll-Lee, a spokesperson with the Clovis Police Department.
Stoll-Lee said it's too soon to know if the cases are connected. While the investigations continue, a special meeting involving business owners has been called for Tuesday to discuss what to do next. "We're looking at a few options but something needs to be done. What that answer is, I don't know. But we'll do what we can," said Stoops.
