Lisa Bees burglarized

DOUGLAS COUNTY -- In an exclusive interview with the Wenatchee Business Journal, Lisa Bee's Bistro, Bakery and Produce Market owner Lisa Stanton said her social media accounts have been overwhelmed with an outpouring of community support after her namesake establishment was burglarized June 14.
"We are 99 percent sure it was three young males, probably high school age or around 19 or 20," Stanton said.
The surveillance cameras at the popular Columbia River-side eatery captured photos of masked men and even showed their footwear, which is one reason Stanton thinks the criminals can be pegged as young men.
Stanton, family and friends only had to close shop briefly thanks to a great team effort to get things in order, cleaned-up and back in business.
She especially wanted to thank Sheriff Harvey Gjesdal and his deputies for spending "five hours" on site after the incident doing investigative work. Stanton also wants to give a big shout out of thanks to LocalTel Communications and the Douglas County PUD who made sure the shutdown was brief.
"The PUD came out within an hour and LocalTel was there within two," she said. "New equipment was over-nighted."
Word of the break-in spread like wildfire throughout the close-knit Douglas-Chelan counties communities via Facebook where Stanton reports "more than 160,000 people reached" as the story spread from one group and was picked-up by another and another and so forth. She has more than 5,000 followers on her own site.
Stanton originally offered a $500 reward leading to the arrest of the men, but others have upped that amount to more than $1,200 as of this interview. She has also installed incredibly loud security alarms on every building "that can be heard a quarter of a mile away" as well as motion detectors, dead bolts and "beefed-up security" measures designed to thwart any future efforts at ruining her livelihood.
Stanton said more than 20 customers have already expressed concern to her personally and one little boy even gave her $1 in a card that said, "I'm sorry your money was stolen."
She has also received more than a dozen bouquets of flowers and plants.  "People get really upset. You work so hard ...this is a great community."
Stanton is positive this crime was not aimed at her personally, "They could have done much more harm than they did," Stanton, "It was nobody that knew us." Anyone wishing to patronize Lisa Bees for a great meal, cold drink or many other things to aid in the store's financial recovery, can visit at 13023 SR2 or call 509-884-300 for more information.
According to a news release from Douglas County Sheriff Harvey Gjesdal, four residential burglaries took place in early June and "a fifth burglary occurred on June 14 at Lisa Bee’s fruit stand at the 13000 Block. of Hwy. 2.  Three cash registers, $1,250 in cash, a Mac laptop computer, and an i-phone 6S were stolen.  There was substantial vandalism inside the business."
Gjesdal reports that "A neighbor who lived west of the business said he had seen a suspicious vehicle in the area.  It was a dark or flat black wagon with a very loud exhaust."
Gjesdal said, "This spike in burglaries is not usual in Douglas County.  I encourage everyone to be security conscious."
Report any suspicious activity to law enforcement immediately. Try to provide detailed descriptions of suspicious persons or vehicle’s. 
If anyone has information about this or any other crime, call the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office at 509-884-0941 or, after hours, RiverCom dispatch at 509-663-9911.