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Williams Lake business hit hard by thieves

DG’s Car Wash forced to curtail hours of operation
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A masked thief broke into DGs Car Wash Jan. 14.

Ongoing problems with theft has impacted hours of operations for a local car wash business.

“It’s just something we couldn’t do anymore,” said Ryan Bailey, who co-owns DG’s Car Wash on Mackenzie Avenue with Ben Peterson, of being opened late.

The owners made the decision in recent months to shorten their hours of operation to 7 p.m. instead of the round-the-clock, 24-hour service they were hoping to offer customers after being repeatedly targetted by thieves.

“There was no other choice. What can you do when every day you go into your business and there’s $500 to $800 in damage from someone trying to steal $20 in change. It’s almost not worth it to open.”

Read More: Williams Lake crime stats: theft from vehicles up 90 per cent in 2018

Even with the early closure, however, the business is still being targetted.

In the latest incident, DG’s Car Wash was broke into Tuesday, Jan 14 at 9:50 p.m. and a quantity of cash was taken. The door to the business was also smashed.

Video surveillance shows the masked suspect was only in the business a few minutes, but it was long enough to the break the door and make off with some money before police arrived.

“We usually don’t get perimetre thefts,” Bailey said of the latest theft.

In the year-end report given to Williams Lake City Council at the Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday, Jan. 22 Insp. Jeff Pelley said theft from business was up two per cent in 2018 with 50 offences compared to 49 in 2017. Theft from vehicles, however, went up 90 per cent in the lakecity in 2018.

If anyone has information about this theft or any other crime, they are asked to contact the local detachment at 250-392-6211 or BC Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.



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Angie Mindus

About the Author: Angie Mindus

A desire to travel led me to a full-time photographer position at the Williams Lake Tribune in B.C.’s interior.
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