During the middle of the ice storm, a pair of would-be thieves broke into a local restaurant, police have confirmed.
On Wednesday, Feb. 1, Sungeun Naomi Park was surprised by a text message from her landlord that her business Taylor Seoul Food had been broken into during a partial power outage.
“He said your place was burglarized,” recalled Park, whose business is located in the former gymnasium building at Old Taylor High. “He walked in on them.”
OTH Owner Cliff Olle, who pursued the individuals with Cole Reed, a maintenance worker, said the pair fled and discarded the items they were trying to steal.
“They had a bunch of cell phones,” Olle said. “They are just opportunists. When we recovered her stuff, we recovered other things as well.”
Commander Joseph Branson said the Taylor Police Department is currently investigating the incident.
“We do have some leads, and we are following those leads,” Branson said. “We feel good about the investigation right now.”
Park said the items that they attempted to steal included a point-of-sale system and an expensive meat thermometer.
“They knew something about kitchen equipment,” she said. “That really bothered me.”
Nevertheless, Park expressed her appreciation for Olle and Reed for their efforts.
“Thank God no one got hurt,” she said. “There was no hesitation for these two men to try and save my stuff. I am ever so thankful. I feel ever so safe. This door can be fixed. We have this big metal bar guarding the door, and no one can come in. “
“If they come in, they will be caught by Cliff and Cole,” Park added a laugh. “They were my heroes really.”
While Branson said he believed this was an isolated incident, he had advice for people to stay safe during the outages.
“We have not had a run of burglaries or anything like that, but the security aspect is what it always is, be vigilant,” Branson said. “We always go by our hide, lock and take initiative — Hide your things, lock your doors and take your keys. That always stands for us.”
Courtesy photo
