The Evergreen Army-Navy store was the latest target of smash-and-grab burglaries that have plagued businesses in the Evergreen area in recent weeks.

Owner Briar Purdy said the culprits smashed the glass front door of the Army-Navy store on U.S. 2 at about 2 a.m. Sunday.

That triggered an alarm, Purdy said, and sheriff’s deputies were on the scene within about five minutes, but that was not fast enough to stop the thieves from getting away with $12,000 to $15,000 in merchandise.

“When they know what they want, they grab stuff quick and they leave quick,” he said of the thieves.

Responding deputies thought the thieves were still in the store, “but they cleared the building and there was nobody here,” Purdy said.

Purdy said there has been a rash of businesses that have had similar incidents recently. 

“Everybody’s getting hit,” he said. “We are offering a $2,000 reward for any information on it. We want to catch them so they don’t keep smashing other people.”

Over the last couple of years, Purdy said, fences have been repeatedly cut around a storage area and locks have been cut on storage containers. He said he is frustrated by the inability of law enforcement to catch those responsible.

“That’s how angry I am. I want it to happen as far as having some kind of result,” he said. “No one catches anybody. We don’t hear back from the Sheriff’s Office. Crickets, that’s all we hear.”

Considering that he’s lost up to $15,000 in merchandise, a $2,000 reward isn’t too hard to come up with. 

“Somebody may tell on somebody for $2,000,” Purdy said. “I might as well be all in.”

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at [email protected].