For the second time in less than three weeks, the Marketplace Café on Rt. 1 in Wiscasset was the victim of a late night robbery. According to Café manager Trina Lewis, the intruder or intruders entered through the rear of the building on Feb. 2 and made off with a cash register containing “loose” change totaling less than $100, she said.
In a previous break in Jan.23, the popular breakfast spot was robbed of approximately $150 along with an empty cash drawer. In both instances, no sign of forced entry was present, leading Lewis to believe that the individual responsible must have “intimate” knowledge of the inner workings of the restaurant.
“There’s only four of us with keys,” she said. “It must be someone who’s good at getting locks open.”
Lewis discovered the latest intrusion after opening the café at 5:30 on the morning of Feb. 3.
“Something just didn’t feel right,” she said. “I looked over to the counter and the cash register was gone.”
Coincidentally, both robberies occurred during a snowstorm, which, combined with a recent break in at Hubers Market during a holiday blizzard, has some speculating that a “snow bandit” may be afoot. It is speculation that is being tentatively dismissed by local law enforcement officials.
“There is no indication that these are related,” said Det. Mike Murphy of the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office. “These are active investigations but I wouldn’t say it’s a trend.”
While Lewis acknowledges the amount of money stolen was relatively small, as a “day to day” small business every “little bit” helps, she said.
“This is the middle of winter,” said Lewis. “We’re trying to stay afloat.”
What most disturbs Lewis is the brazenness of the intruder and the seemingly “random” way he or she is going about their crimes. In both cases nothing was disturbed, with exception of a pulled fuse to thwart an alarm, and the café was left “eerily” intact, said Lewis. Police did discover a set of tire tracks in the snow behind the café, said Lewis, and are conducting fingerprint analysis.
“It’s just so strange,” Lewis said. “To take an entire cash register? Weird. You’d think they’d at least grab some food.”
