Narco-burglars strike Odessa Drug again

Christmas night, as folks were winding down from their holiday cheer and food and gifts, the infamous narco-burglars struck for the third time at Odessa Drug, the pharmacy/gift shop owned by Odessa resident Ted Bruya. Apparently, they were again after drugs, because that was primarily what was taken. A complete inventory has not yet been completed however.

The burglars broke through the front door again this time, as they had during the first incident in March of 2008. The rear windows used to gain entry during the second break-in earlier this year had been bricked over and were inaccessable. The alarm installed by the ADT Company after that second back-door job caused alerts to be sent to the owner and the police. The alarm may have resulted in the thieves grabbing only a very few medicine bottles and getting back out quickly. Unlike the earlier break-ins, this one was not so lucrative for the perpetrators.

The Odessa Town Marshal’s Office has just begun its investigation, and at this point has no comment other than to appeal to the public to come forward with any information that might lead to the arrest of the perpetrator(s).

Were the same people involved each time? Were they local or from elsewhere?

Around town, there appear to be two trains of thought about this string of burglaries. According to one line of thinking, the burglars appear to be professionals who come well-prepared and equipped, looking for opportunities as they pass through small towns. They don’t tend to leave fingerprints or other telling evidence at the site.

The other line of thinking heard expressed downtown is that it must be the work of local drug abusers who know the town well – its business schedules, perhaps even the duty schedules of the town police and the times during which all is quiet and no one is on the streets.

Local or not, the perpetrators disrupt a business that is crucial to nearly every person in town at one time or another. A lot of anger is being heard in the discussions being held among Odessa citizens about this latest crime.

Odessa Town Marshal Mike Wren told The Record that he will be meeting with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to compare notes on similar burglary attempts that have occurred in the Davenport area. In the meantime, the Marshal’s Office is working with the security company to review the evidence collected at the scene.

The break-in occurred at around 1 a.m. Monday morning, December 26. Anyone who may have heard or seen anything suspicious is asked to call the Marshal’s Office at 982-0141.