Copperas Cove businesses rally after Monday morning burglaries

By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press 

Early Monday morning, four businesses along Avenue D were burglarized by two individuals, who were found nearby and arrested.
The businesses affected include Refresh Salon and Spa, Toa’s Ohana Hawaiian Restaurant, Monty’s Old School BBQ and Herb Thai, all located in the 300-400 block of E. Avenue D. 
At approximately 2:30 a.m. Monday, Copperas Cove police arrived at Herb Thai in response to a “business alarm” and discovered that it and the three other businesses had been burglarized. Police later located the two individuals, identified as James Darell Lincoln and Isaac John Allan, and after conducting a probable cause search of their vehicle, they found items stolen from the burglaries. 
Herb Thai owner Jatupol Yotasing said that his business has security cameras inside and outside along with an alarm system that goes off after a set amount of time after detecting movement. Yotasing said that his cameras showed the two individuals walking around the outside of the restaurant and trying to break down a door with no luck, before climbing over a fenced area and finding a hammer and a drill, which Yotasing said one individual used to break the glass on the back door. After entering the restaurant, the inside cameras showed one individual walked over to the cash register area and tried to open it, but then the alarm went off, and the individual ran back out, taking the hammer and drill with them, according to Yotasing. Yotasing said he thinks that the alarm system really deterred them from doing further damage to his business and possibly any others. 
Herb Thai did remain closed on Monday, which resulted in lost revenue, Yotasing added. 
Beth Galick, salon manager at Refresh Salon and Spa, said that the damage to the salon was limited to broken windows in the back of the salon and then a stolen cash drawer that was luckily already empty. 
Manuel Montanez, owner of Monty’s Old School BBQ, shared video on Facebook and YouTube from his security camera footage of the break-in at his restaurant. Montanez said that the individuals broke in and knocked over his refrigerator, which resulted in the spoiling of the food inside. They also knocked over and ruined his specially made signature spices, he said. He estimated that in spoiled food alone, the two individuals cost him around $1,000.
Montanez wanted to highlight the positive side of this experience, though, which is that a local business helped out other local businesses, when Montanez called We Care Home Repair to fix his broken window, and they offered a discount to other businesses affected by the burglary. Montanez also said he was grateful for the customers who came out once Monty’s Old School BBQ opened and supported his restaurant by buying out the food that was left. Lastly, Montanez said he was appreciative of the Copperas Cove Police Department, who responded promptly to the situation. 
Lincoln and Allan were arraigned by Justice of the Peace John Guinn on Tuesday, Feb. 22, and each received a total bond of $40,000, at $10,000 per charge.