Local business owner speaks out after being struck by multiple burglaries

ROCHESTER, N.Y. News10NBC has been reporting on multiple commercial burglaries this week.

RPD is investigating two more burglaries that were targeted overnight early Friday morning on Elton Street.

It seems to be a growing trend in the Elton Street neighborhood. Thieves are running wild and this time one of the businesses that was hit was Petit Poutinerie.

The co-owner explained the one-year anniversary of the business is coming up on Feb. 18 and is frustrated by these burglaries that continue to happen.

Ronnie McClive, co-owner of Petit Poutinerie and the Poutin Trucks, says thieves broke into her business by crashing a car through the front door. They got away with an iPad and there are damages to her front door. She is remaining positive and is happy no one got hurt.

“Those are the things that are important, but it is discouraging,” McClive said. “The first year is hard and we do have a very supportive community we are working hard to put out good food and meet new customers and get people in the door so it does feel like one step forward, a step back.”

As far as the cost to repair the damages she’s not sure, but she says this is not the first time something like this has happened.

“Our trucks got broken into three times this year in similar kind of just like break in and smash up kind of incidents and that cost us like combined six or eight thousand dollars,” McClive said.

Ronnie says thieves crashed the car into the door and then came around to the register where they stole a cash drawer, but it was empty.

“Luckily the damage was controllable,” McClive said. “Other than the door we had someone come in and put a temporary door up for us.”

Ronnie tells us they do have cameras inside and outside however the cameras inside weren’t working at the time. An alarm activation did off go and police responded but the thieves were gone by the time they arrived.

She hopes something more can be done to stop these incidents from reoccurring.

“I mean that’s the discouraging part, that’s why we are just trying to be positive about the things that could’ve happened and didn’t,” McClive said. “When the cops show up they are very understanding I guess like they are sympathetic but they basically say it was teenagers. If we catch them they are minors, they won’t get charged. If they do get charged they won’t get punished and have a great day,” McClive said.