By Morgan Bryce
Editor
Almost Anything of downtown Opelika is offering a cash reward of up to $2,500 for any information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of the person or individuals who burglarized the store on the morning of Oct. 23.
According to owner Aaron Bushey, cameras showed only one unidentifiable person wearing a mask and gloves, but there could be more who were involved. They were able to avoid triggering the motion detectors of the store’s alarm system and spent nearly 35 minutes inside the store, from 12:10 to 12:45 a.m.
The burglar broke into an area behind the store, attached a metal beam to the back of a vehicle and smashed the back door frame, which led to cracking of an interior wall that nearly caused the building to collapse.
Nearly $50,000 in merchandise was stolen, including coins and currency, jewelry, knives, watches and other accessories that hadn’t been put in the store’s safe the previous evening. Bushey said most of those items will be “easibly identifiable” because of “personalized engravings, serial numbers and rarity” and that most are posted in a photo gallery on Facebook.
Although internal and external surveillance videos have been submitted to local law enforcement, Bushey added that there will be additional cash rewards for individuals who help locate missing inventory or help return various rare pieces taken during the burglary.
Those with tips or information are asked to contact Bushey via email or phone at almostanythingreward@gmail.com and 334-741-0808 during normal business hours or call the Opelika Police Department’s Secret Witness Hotline at 334-745-8665. He added that “tips eligible for a reward will be assigned a case number that callers will need in order to claim a reward once the payment criteria has been met.”
To learn more about Almost Anything, like and follow their social media pages or visit www.almostanythingopelika.com.