Burglars target family-owned business in Enumclaw, police seeking suspects

Burglars target family-owned business in Enumclaw

Two determined burglars in Enumclaw spent an hour and a half inside a family-owned business to cut through a slab of wood to get into a counter safe.

ENUMCLAW, Wash. - Two determined burglars in Enumclaw spent an hour and a half inside a family-owned business to cut through a slab of wood to get into a counter safe.

Tonight, police are asking for your help to identify the suspects. The two cut through the fence out back and then broke through a window to get inside The Use Again Store & Enumclaw Recyclers, where anyone can drop off recyclables for free.

Surveillance video captured the entire ordeal—a man walking in to scope the place around 3:30 a.m., then returning with a woman an hour later. By 5:30 a.m. they are hacking away at the counter safe with a power saw stolen from the store's tool department.

The two then drove off in what might be a silver-colored sedan, though the color is hard to tell on surveillance video.

"They got away with $5,000 or $6,000, and what’s more scary, for the first time in our business, we purchased a brand-new truck to haul all our material with," said Cassimiro Mattioda, co-owner of the store. "They got the keys to that, as well as the keys to all three of our company box trucks."

Mattioda spent all week changing the locks, upgrading their security and replacing the safe and cash drawers. Enumclaw Police say they have seen an uptick in burglaries at businesses, but this one is unique.

"We don’t see, too often, people breaking in and taking that much time to saw and brazenly stay that long," said Enumclaw Police Det. Nona Zilbauer. "Usually they go in, get what they can and get out."

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Anyone with information on the suspects is urged to call Enumclaw Police, or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest.