Ski’s variety was the victim of a break and enter early Sunday morning, Fort Frances OPP announced Monday.
According to the OPP lottery tickets, cigarettes, and cash, were among the things stolen.
Ski’s owner Janice Neurinski says break-ins and robberies like this are hard on small businesses.
“It’s frustrating for sure,” Neurinski said. “We take a lot of pride in running a local, small business and the fact that someone came with bolt cutters feels pretty targeted.”
Neurinski says the thief broke the lock on the cage around the door with bolt cutters and then smashed through the door. The store has security cameras and footage has been handed over to the OPP though they have not said whether they have any suspects at this time.
The store was still able to open Sunday after investigation and clean up were completed.
Neurinski also said she feels disheartened by the fact that it seems like repeat offenders are often not penalized heavily enough for these kinds of crimes.
“I guess the fact that there doesn’t seem to be a lot of repercussions afterwards is frustrating,” Neurinski said. “That people are charged with crimes like this and then are walking the streets doing it again within days, that is frustrating to us. We have security cameras,and we seem to be taking all of the necessary precautions, but it doesn’t feel like it matters much.
This morning the OPP sent out a release notifying the public that a 33 year old Fort Frances man has been charged for this and a second burglary over the weekend. He has been charged with two counts each of Break and Entry, and Possession of Property Obtained by a Crime.
The OPP is still requesting anyone with information about this occurrence contact the OPP 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or access their website at: ontariocrimestoppers.ca where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.
