Wimberley Businesses Recover Following December Burglaries
By: Jon Wilcox
The Wimberley community has improved security and rallied in support of the owners of burglarized shops in the wake of a series of downtown break-ins one month ago.
Two 17-year-old males, Levi Weed and Ricky Elhert, were arrested for burglarizing and attempting to break into 19 Wimberley businesses. A crime spree of this magnitude was unprecedented in downtown Wimberley, said Diana Holmes, owner of Enchantment, a handmade jewelry store. She said her shop was broken into only once before, five years prior to the December 2014 burglaries. The crimes have led many business owners to install alarms, cameras, reinforced doors and other security measures.
Holmes, who had $85 in cash stolen from her moneybox, did not have security systems in place before the break-in. She has since installed a “heavier, sturdier” door and an alarm system.
Josh Farris, owner of Peak Outdoors, a sporting goods shop, said he had an alarm system at the time of the break-ins but forgot to set it on the evening of the robberies. Police believe Farris’ store was hit first. The burglars were able to enter through his back door by breaking the lock.
Two pairs of gloves, a watch, a pair of running shoes and about $50 in change were stolen, Farris said. The two teenagers failed to notice the $220 in cash and a loaded pistol with spare ammunition in plain sight.
“It didn’t even add up to $700,” Farris said. “The total amount (stolen) wasn’t even worth enough to claim on insurance.” Farris believes the burglars could have taken more merchandise and were “plain stupid.”
Queen Bee Fabulous Finds, Uncommon Goods and Antiquities, a small boutique featuring jewelry, clothing and gifts, was one of the handful of stores to be spared and the only one to already have outdoor cameras installed on the night of the burglaries, said Mary Van Ostrand, owner.
Van Ostrand had a previous incident with one of the alleged perpetrators, Weed, in 2012 when she arrived at her store one morning to find her door covered in spit. Van Ostrand reviewed the previous night’s security camera footage and identified one of the spitters as Weed.
Weed had a reputation for trouble before the burglaries. He was charged last summer for allegedly breaking into a neighbor’s vehicle. He was quickly apprehended when law enforcement found him asleep inside a pickup truck with “all the loot in his lap,” Van Ostrand said.
Weed was given a lenient punishment—probation—for breaking into the truck because of his father’s reputation within the community, Van Ostrand said. “(The Weed family) are working, well-thought-of people here,” she said.
The Wimberley View, a local weekly newspaper, published an apologetic letter in its Dec. 18, 2014 issue from Calvin and Nancy Weed, Levi’s parents.
Nancye Britner, pro tem mayor for the City of Woodcreek and owner of GNS Cigars and Gifts, said her business suffered from the break-in.
“It’s hurt the store really, really bad,” she said. “Especially with a small business, it hurts because you have the insurance deductible, and mine was high, so my insurance didn’t cover (the losses). I had to pay out of pocket.”
Britner said she does not leave cash on premises after hours, but the perpetrators took around $40 in coins, butane lighters and close to $1,200 in cigars. Britner discovered a half-eaten fudge bar on her counter the next morning. She remains thankful only merchandise and profits were lost. “Nobody was hurt, nobody was killed—it was just stuff,” Britner said. “It could have been a lot worse, and they were caught.”
Britner said she received an outpouring of community support after the burglary. One friend donated a considerable amount of merchandise to help make up for the loss. A five-year-old boy and his mother also brought a freshly baked banana nut loaf after the break-ins and apologized for the burglar’s actions.
“This town is really good about rallying around an issue of any kind,” Britner said. “I just wish we could make them pay some kind of retribution, but that’s not going to happen.”
By: Jon Wilcox is a news reporter for the University Star where this article originally published. It is reprinted here through a news partnership between the University Star and the San Marcos Corridor News.
