Hermreck knows most of her customers and has never had any problems in the years she's owned the place.
"Our alarm was going off and he was gone before the police even had a chance to show up," said Hermreck.
She says repairs to her business cost ten times what little cash the burglars got away with. Hermreck is most upset at damage to the club's reputation.
"We were completely at the mercy of these thieves who can destroy our reputation faster than anything else," said Henpeck.
"Get an honest job. Make an honest living like everyone else."
Scott Gilbert, 46, is charged with the break-in. Prosecutors say in a little more than two months, he hit 16 separate Wichita businesses. Currently, he has three pending burglary cases in court. In the latest, he faces nearly 50 separate counts of burglary-related crimes. In the past 25 years, Gilbert has been in and out of prison numerous times for burglary.
POLICE PERSPECTIVE
Cases like Gilbert's frustrate the Wichita Police Department. Lt. Barry Von Fange heads up the burglary section and while he can't comment on specific suspects, he says police have identified dozens of serial burglars who make a living this way.
"I've talked to people and interviewed people who've bragged about it," said Von Fange.
Von Fange says most serial burglars use the cash to support drug habits. But he says a few have made a lot of money, as seen by a career criminal a few years ago who hit more than 200 residential homes.
"He targeted more affluent homes and looked for jewelry," said Von Fange. "We believe he got about a million dollars in jewelry."
Career criminals also know how bypass security and alarm systems. For business owners who invest time and money into protecting their property, it's frustrating.
"What makes it right for somebody to think they can make a career out of this?" said Hermreck.
So if police know about career criminals, why are they still on the street? Von Fange says many also know how to work the justice system.
"Every one or two years we can look for a lot of these same people to be back out that we have to deal with again," said Von Fange.
Since this is a crime where no one is typically hurt, prison time is minimal – even for repeat offenders. Von Fange says criminals have told him they only do business burglaries because breaking into a home will get them more time. It also comes down to prison space and corrections funding. Who would you rather put behind bars, a murderer or a burglar?
"I wish they could come to me and say ‘What about this guy? How long should we leave him in there?' And I'd say ‘"Look at his record. He keeps breaking the rules and keeps coming out and doing the same thing,'" said Von Fange.
Many times police know who is responsible for a series of burglaries but the challenge is proving it. Von Fange says technology is helping in this area. Without going into details, he says police now regularly use DNA evidence in burglary cases.
"If you think about it, a person leaves DNA everywhere they go. We are utilizing that in our cases,"
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Besides basic home safety steps, Von Fange urges homeowners to write down serial numbers of their property. If it is stolen and recovered, you have a better chance of getting it back.
