By reporter Steven Smalley
Once isn?t enough for rip-offs in the Village, it seems. Following a burglary in December, Magnolia Paw Spa (3111 West McGraw Street) gets hit again this week with the perpetrator entering through the same back window.
?They came in, took some money out of the till, and this time stole our iMac computer,? reveals Jason Hall, co-owner of the animal grooming business. ?I?m almost positive it?s the same person. We have an alarm system, but of course the one day out of 100 that we don?t set it?.?
It wasn?t so much the loss of the computer that had Hall worried, as much as the loss of data in it.
?I?ve been able to remotely lock and erase the contents on it, so there?s no danger of any information getting into the wrong hands,? he explains.
As for the future, Hall indicates he is now more vigilant and has beefed up security…again.
?We are installing some floodlighting back there and security cameras,? he says.
The apparent increase in crime in Magnolia hasn?t passed his notice.
?Just from talking to people, there seems to be a lot of property crime in Magnolia,? Hall points out. ?It?s quite a common occurrence. I think it?s a trend in Seattle as a whole. We had our cars prowled several times and packages stolen off of our front porch.?
With this latest break-in, emotions are running high.
?I feel violated. I feel angry,? he says. ?We don?t want to be an easy mark anymore.?