It may the boldest break-in you’ve ever heard of. Someone or a group of people stole a laundry list of items from Bluz at the Bend over the past week. The break-in was discovered on Wednesday night after the owner of the building returned from vacation.
Don Parkins is at a loss.
“I don’t know why they tear stuff out of the ceiling,” he says.
He was on vacation for five days, and in those days, these crooks broke in and did more than simply steal items of value. They destroyed the place. They ripped out and cut the plumbing. They broke the toilets. The pool tables were torn apart. An air conditioning unit is smashed. Pictures and sound systems were ripped off the walls. Everywhere you look, there’s destruction.
“I’ve never seen a burglary like this,” Parkins says.
Here’s the most baffling part for Parkins too.
“I believe they were in here for a couple of days,” he says.
That’s because in the kitchen, he found a bag of biscuit mix that he’s never seen before. There was a biscuit these criminals made still in the oven, and the mixing bowl still had biscuit mix in it. Now Parkins would’ve known at least how long these guys were here and what exactly they did because of his surveillance system. But the criminals cut the wires and took it, too.
Parkins can’t even estimate how much damage these guys caused. He’s filed a police report and his insurance is going to come out and take a look at what happened.
But, it’s painful and upsetting to look at all the damage for Parkins. That’s because the club brought in musicians and comedians throughout the years, and had benefits for people who needed help. Bluz is a place he managed and loved.
“It’s the memories of all those great times,” he says. “I guess that’s what we have left. Memories and that’s what I’m going to hold onto.”
If you know anything about what happened at Bluz between June 21st and 28th, call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233 to report it.
(story and photo: Katie Chen, KHQ.com)