By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – The bar may be closed due to COVID-19 but that didn’t stop a burglar from making off with $400.
An officer was dispatched at about 2:16 a.m. on March 22 to Tuttie’s American Club at 503 W. Main St. regarding a burglary.
The owner of the bar advised that he was at home when he got an alert on his phone that there was motion on his security cameras at the bar. He looked on the cameras and saw that the bar’s safe and its register tills were open.
Upon arrival at the bar, the owner said he noticed $400 was missing from a bank deposit bag he had in his safe. He also reported that the front and back doors were both locked and there were no signs of any forced entry.
After reviewing his security footage, the owner later advised that they saw the burglar dressed in a gray hoodie and wearing gloves take the money from the safe. The owner’s wife advised that she thought the burglar looked like a person who used to help one of the bartender’s clean the bar at night.
That bartender, and another one, had abruptly quit during their shift two days prior to the burglary. Both bartenders had turned their keys back into the owner, but he believes they could have made copies.
The case was forwarded to detectives to investigate further.
