Bend police report burglary spree at food carts, coffee shops

Published 1:44 pm Friday, March 31, 2023

Bend Police are investigating a string of burglaries at local coffee shops and food carts since Thursday and are asking for the community’s help to solve the crimes.More than a half-dozen businesses had reported overnight burglaries since Thursday, police said.

Sheila Miller, a department spokeswoman, said in a press release Friday that police believe the burglaries “were likely committed by the same suspect or suspects.”

The burglars reportedly stole money and broke windows and doors to get inside, Miller said. They also stole cash registers, iPads, tablets and other technology.

Total damages from the incidents amounted to hundreds of dollars, police reported.

The facilities that have reported burglaries are:

• Café des Chutes on SE Scott Street.
• JJ Coffee Hut on Cooley Road.
• Backporch Coffee Roasters on SE 15th Street.
• Toasty and Bigfoot Barbecue Co. in the Podski Food Cart Lot on NW Arizona Avenue.
• The Bob Bend food truck at Silver Moon Brewing on NW Greenwood Avenue.
• IndoDaddy food truck at Spider City Brewing on SE Ninth Street.
• Taqueria El Nava and Nosh Street Food carts and Industrial Joes
• Coffee near Bevel Brewing on SE
• Armour Road.

Police released images of the burglaries at Toasty, Backporch and Bevel Brewing on Friday. Police say the images appear to show suspects driving a BMW or Mazda Miata. The images appear to show a man with facial hair wearing a black sweatshirt and beanie.

Police said the burglaries were reported when employees arrived to open on Thursday and Friday mornings.

Police are asking other businesses that may have been burglarized to report the incident to the nonemergency dispatch line, 541-693-6911. Police are also asking surrounding businesses to provide video surveillance footage to assist with the investigation.