IOWA COMPUTER STOLEN The Hawk Eye

Chamber of Commerce reports theft

By JOHN MANGALONZO jmangalonzo@thehawkeye.com

Burlington police detectives are investigating three business burglaries reported earlier this week, including the chamber of commerce and SCC's Small Business Development Center.

Chamber employees at the RiverPark Place, 610 N. Fourth St., called officers Monday after discovering evidence intruders rifled through the entire office.

Police said there was no sign of forced entry. Investigators suspect the burglary occurred over the weekend. A laptop computer was taken.

"No windows were broken," said Kay Breuer, Greater Burlington Partnership vice president. "We had one door that they tried to get in and busted the lock but they couldn't get through the door."

Breuer said the stolen laptop did not contain any personal or sensitive information.

"It was an older laptop that ran different Power Points (presentations), and that's what we used it for," she said.

Southeastern Community College's Small Business Development Center, which occupies an office on the same floor as the chamber, also reported a break-in and a stolen laptop computer.

Like the partnership office, police said they did not find any evidence of forced entry.

A call to that office was not returned Wednesday evening.

Across town at Rheinschmidt Tile and Marble, 1100 Agency St., burglars took a lock box containing gift cards and an undisclosed amount of cash. Police received the report about 20 minutes before the Partnership office call.

No other information was made available in that incident, but police did say there was no other damage to the store.

Anyone with information about the incidents should call the police department at (319) 753-8366 or Crime Stoppers at (319) 753-6835.