Inside the Police Reports: Car Wash Burglar Gives Up

Change, change, change: A week ago, officers responded to a burglary alarm going off at the on Annistown Road.

The car wash is a 24-hour business, and the alarm sounded about 12:35 a.m., Saturday, January 14. When officers got there, they found the front door partially open with pry marks on the door frame.

Police contacted the owner, who arrived shortly after and did not notice anything missing. More pry marks were found on a change machine. However, it appeared that the crook wasn't able to get into the machine.

Video footage from a security camera showed exactly what happened. About 12:35 a.m., a white Ford Escape -- possibly 2000 to 2005 -- drove up to the car wash. The car drove one lap around the property before stopping at the front door.

A man wearing blue jeans, a blue winter hat and a black jacket got out of the car and headed for the door with a crowbar. When that didn't work, he got back in his car, drove off and came back to try again. This time he was successful with the crowbar, and he went straight to the change machine.

The suspect pulled out the crowbar and used it on the change machine. However, he just couldn't get it open. He milled about for a few minutes before completely giving up and left, escaping the scene in his white Ford Escape.

Before leaving, it looks like he may have left something behind -- blood on the interior door handle. Police planned to check the blood-like substance for clues.