Rural Towns East of Salem See Spike in Break Ins

The owner of the cafe that was broken into, just gave the community a free Thanksgiving dinner just last week.

Break in at the Covered Bridge Cafe in Stayton, Oregon Photo by Ken Cartwright KENC Radio

(STAYTON, Ore.) - Employees discovered a break in this morning at 5:25 AM at the Covered Bridge Cafe at 505 N. 3rd Avenue in downtown Stayton, as they arrived for work to open the cafe.

Police discovered that the front door windows had been broken and a steel grate from a street drain weighing about 75 pounds was laying just inside the door on the floor.

Stayton Police on the scene taking fingerprints think this was the method used to gain entry into the cafe. Investigators say the cash register was open and most of the change left for the morning shift was taken. It is not known at this time if anything else was taken.

The owner, Cari Fike was on hand when KENC Radio arrived at 5:50 AM and was very distraught that someone would do this to her, especially after she and her partner Chris, just gave the community a free Thanksgiving dinner just last week. She will be open while the glass is replaced and the cafe is cleaned up.

Besides the break in at the Covered Bridge Cafe in downtown Stayton, police are also reporting break ins in Sublimity. Thieves apparently gained entry by breaking the glass with a street drain grate into the windows of the Koffee Kup coffee house and the Hair Works at Ditter Square. Police are investigating at this time and would not say if they have any leads.

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Ken Cartwright can be reached at mandomedic@wvi.com