Havre residents, businesses hit again with burglaries and vandalism

Havre residents and businesses reported a series of burglaries and vandalisms hitting town over the weekend.

From among the six reported incidents, two were about residences. The other four reports were on Rod's Drive-In, the Havre-Hill County Library, Nalivka's Original Pizza Kitchen and Bing 'N' Bob's Sporting Goods.

One of the owners of Nalivka's, Patrick Jensen, and Rod's Drive-In owner Brian Shaub both said the windows through which the trespasser entered the buildings are small, and both said they guessed that whoever broke in is a small person.

Jensen said there was a footprint on the door that indicated someone may have tried to kick in the door of the restaurant and that the police took pictures of it. He said the only thing taken, once they got in, was a tip jar that held $30.

Library director Rachael Rawn reported Monday at 9:26 a.m. that a window at the library had been broken with a rock. She said nothing was taken, and the window has since been fixed.

Jim Evans, owner of Bing 'N' Bob's, which sells firearms, said the outer pane of the double-paned glass window facing the street was cracked but not shattered. He said he guessed the vandal was someone who was "just having a good time breaking stuff."

Even if someone were to get past the double-paned window, Evans said, there's a cage that serves as further security to prevent intruders from getting in his store.

Rod's was hit not long ago in another string of vandalisms on 5th Avenue, and Shaub said he guessed that the same people are responsible. He said he wished they would quit beating his tills trying to get them open and just learn there's a tab underneath that opens the till without having to slam it onto the ground.

The only other thing that was disturbed in his office, Shaub said, was his stack of bills.

"They didn't pay any of them. They just rummaged through them‚" Shaub said.

Havre Police Chief Gabe Matosich had not responded to multiple calls requesting information about the burglaries and vandalisms by printing deadline this morning.