Burglars struck again this week in Bremen, wiping out merchandise from display cases that were smashed at Cantrell Jewelers, which is one of the oldest businesses in the city’s downtown corridor. The store was “devastatingly” vandalized last Thursday, Nov. 5, in a break-in police suspect happened just short of daybreak.

At approximately 2:52 a.m., Bremen Police happened to be on patrol near the business located at 119 Buchanan St., when they noticed the glass front door had been shattered, according to Bremen Police Chief Keith Pesnell.

Johnny Cantrell, owner of the family business that’s been established in the community since the 1940s, says he was awakened by a “devastating” early phone call from police about what they discovered at the scene.

“Police called me around 3:30 a.m. at home to tell me about the break-in. [ The burglars] absolutely devastated my store. It was a complete wreck. The front door looked like it had been smashed with rocks or hammers, or whatever they used to get in. They pulled all of the drawers out and turned over the work benches. They smashed my jewelry show cases right down the middle and took what they wanted and left,” Cantrell said.

The stolen items include an array of jewelry, which Cantrell is still tallying the estimates for. His losses are compounded by the cost to repair the damages made to the door and the inside of the store.

Pesnell reported that approximately three to five other area businesses might have been burglarized or vandalized during the same time of the break-in at Cantrell Jewelry; however, investigations are still pending for each of those cases.

Pesnell noted that police are following all possible leads to make an arrest in the jewelry store burglary; however, he urges business owners and store managers to “be on watch” for suspicious activity as crime numbers take a traditional spike during the holiday season.

“We hate that business owners have had to endure these vicious acts, and we take them seriously. We encourage everyone to be on alert, secure their belongings, and if they see something or know of anything pertaining to this incident, to please notify our police department at 770-537-4441. We also invite business owners to join the Bremen business watch meetings that are held every month, which serves as an opportunity for businesses to work together and address any issues going on at local businesses.”

Pesnell added that communities near and far have had the unfortunate experience of more break-ins this year due to the recent economic downturn, which he stressed under no circumstances gives license for people to commit illegal acts.

Cantrell also stands firm on that position, while exhibiting a positive outlook in spite of the tough ordeal that caused a short-lived setback in business that is making a seemingly quick turnaround.

“I had to get a crew in to clean up, and I’ve got my cases back in place. I have some more merchandise in [stock], too. They (burglars) did not get to my customers’ personal information. It’s all still secured,” he assured. “We’re the oldest business in town, formed around the 1920s during the Great Depression before coming to this location in the 1940s, so we’re open for business, and we’ll be around.”

Pesnell says the police department plans to increase their time spent patrolling the streets, and “We will do our best to bring justice.”