By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer
February 6, 2008

Hood River Supply in the Heights was burglarized early Saturday morning and an undisclosed amount of money — along with vehicle titles and property deeds — was removed from the premises.

According to reports, Police Officer Don Cheli was called to the business shortly before 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 2.

The store manager had arrived just minutes earlier and smelled something burning. While investigating the odor, he discovered that the safe and cash registers had been broken into. The safe, which had been damaged with a torch, was still warm to the touch, an indicator that the robber had not been gone long.

Cheli found vehicle tracks in the snow outside the building, along with footprints that led to and from a north side window, which had been dismantled.

The burglar had apparently used that point of entry since a muddy boot print was found on a stool inside and several crumpled checks were lying on the ground beside the discarded window parts.

Inside, a pick axe and hammer — both sold in the store — were found near the empty safe, which had contained the titles to nine company vehicles and deeds to several properties. Change had been left in the registers that were lying on the floor but the cash and checks deposited inside were missing.

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