Restaurateurs Offer Reward for "Planter Prankster"

The management of the Oasis Package and Bar and Verandas Restaurant are offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons who left path of destruction along Avenue D in downtown Apalachicola during the early hours of Wednesday, Aug. 26.

Between 3 and 6 a.m. someone stole credit cards and money, cut a lock from the gate to a courtyard and damaged or destroyed three doors, two of which were valued at around $1,500 each.

Cassie Gary, co owner of the Owl Café, and head waiter Emily Mikkelson have dubbed the criminal the "planter prankster" because, after rifling through their unlocked cars, he or she left Gary and Mikkelson's possessions scattered in planters along the street.

"He took two Ping-Pong balls and a bar of soap out of my car and left a $200 power saw in the back seat," Gary said. "Who steals Ping-Pong balls? Then he dumped the balls and soap in a planter in front of the Owl."

Mikkelson was not so fortunate. The thief took a case of compact discs and her wallet out of her car. The CDs were found in a fern in front of Riverlily with the wallet, but Mikkelson's driver's license and credit cards had been removed.

Gary and Mikkelson say the thief must have struck after 3 a.m. because the pair was seated on a bench in front of the Owl Café until shortly after that hour.

"We didn't see or hear anything strange. The only thing moving downtown was a pair of dogs running around when we walked home," said Gary.

It appears that, after rifling the two cars, the criminal moved on to the courtyard behind the Oasis, where he or she cut off the lock securing the gate and attempted to enter the Oasis bar through the back door. The burglar smashed the outer pane of a double-glazed window, but failed to break the inner pane.

He or she then went to the front door of the liquor store adjoining the bar facing the post office on Avenue D. The thief succeeded breaking that door and entered through the liquor store to the bar where he or she stole some rolled change.

According to Apalachicola Police Chief Bobby Varnes, the thieves got away with about $25. The thief did not take any of the liquor on display in the store side of the business or a laptop computer.

            Varnes said that about a month ago, the Oasis sustained a break-in at around 4 a.m. in the morning, in which the cash register was taken with about $1,500 inside.

            "We had that on video surveillance but the person wore a jump suit, mask and gloves," said Varnes. "We couldn't get a positive ID on it."

After leaving the Oasis during last week's incident, the thief apparently walked up Avenue D to Verandas Restaurant and attempted to smash the door with a brick. He or she succeeded in smashing the outer pane of the door, which was double glazed, but did not gain entry. The criminal then attempted to smash a plate glass window leaving permanent marks on the surface of the glass.

"This is hurricane glass built to withstand 120 miles per hour winds," said Robert Atchison, owner of Verandas.

The crimes were discovered around 7 a.m. when the Apalachicola Police Department received a phone call reporting that the door to the Oasis Liquor Store at had been broken. Atchison said Lt. Gary Hunnings came to survey the damage at Veranda's.

"I was disappointed in the investigation. He just did a general report. He didn't take any pictures or fingerprints or any thing," said Atchison. "I don't have an alarm system here now but I will very soon."

The one-paragraph police report stated there were no suspects in the case of vandalism at Verandas.

Varnes said the departments' investigation did, in fact, include the taking of photographs.

The chief said the department has promising leads but is not yet ready to make an arrest in last week's incidents. "We do have a suspect that we're looking at, but at this time we don't have enough to make an arrest," Varnes said.

He urged anyone with information to call the police department at 653-9755.