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Thieves punch hole in wall at market
BreakIn
Someone cut this hole in a wall to burglarize the Country Market in Ellabell on Friday. - photo by Photo by Michele Seger
An unknown person cut a hole in the rear wall of Country Market in Ellabell early Friday morning, broke in and stole rolled coins, according to the Bryan County Sheriff’s Department.
Sometime between midnight and 4 a.m. Friday, a person cut a hole in the wall between the freezer and building, according to Detective Donnie Thomas. The person cut an entrance through the sheet metal outside and “busted out the sheetrock” on the inside, he said.
The hole was “big enough for a grown man to get through,” Thomas added, and in a spot that was blocked from view by anyone passing by.
The suspect stole about $350 in rolled coins, he said.
The outside of the building has been fixed, but the inside sheetrock has yet to be replaced, said Doug Beeler, the manager of Country Market. There is a cloth covering up the hole on the inside of the store.
“It was kind of shocking,” he said.
Beeler was the first person in Friday morning and discovered the aftermath of the break-in. The suspect actually cut two holes in the side of the building. The first was behind some pipes and the robber was unable to enter, Beeler said. The suspect was able to gain access to the building with the second hole, which led to the deli.
The phone lines were cut, disabling the security system, Beeler said. The wires that supplied power to all of surveillance cameras were also cut, except the one camera in the deli, and that was pushed aside.  
Employees of Country Market celebrated a grand opening event on Saturday, but the break-in didn’t damper the day, Beeler said.
“It went pretty good,” he said.
Country Market was formally Andy’s Market. New owners Ashley and Missy Thompson took over on Sept. 13, Beeler said.

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