The scene of broken glass and a large rock in the middle of the Crepe Crazy kitchen floor was a sobering wakeup call for store manager Nick Vela Feb. 1
Up until that point, Vela said that his morning was going like any other. It wasn’t until a co-worker informed him that cash was stolen that reality soon sank in.
“I was in disbelief. I thought she was yanking my chain for a while, until our neighbor at Oak Creek Café came and handed me a business card for the sheriff’s department with the case number on it,” Vela said in an email response. “That was when it finally sank in and then I contacted the general managers.”
Vela, along with owners of the Oak Creek Café, are working with the Hays County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the burglaries at the two iconic Dripping Springs businesses located near Sportsplex Drive.
Vela said the incident happened around 4 a.m. Feb. 1 when a person “threw a 20-30 pound rock” through the businesses’ windows.
The suspect then climbed through the window and escaped with bags of cash that were for Crepe Crazy’s point of sale system.
“This is the first time a situation like this has happened at our business since we opened three years ago,” Vela said. “Oak Creek Café has been operating for ten years and this is the first time it’s happened to our businesses.”
According to reports, money was also taken from the Oak Creek Café’s registers. The News-Dispatch reached out to the Oak Creek Café for comment but calls were not immediately returned.
Lt. Dennis Gutierrez, Hays County Sheriff’s public information officer, said money was the motive in both burglaries. However, authorities are working to gather leads and looking to identify the suspect, who was caught on security camera footage at Crepe Crazy.
Vela said Crepe Crazy installed security cameras at the business when it opened.
Gutierrez said the burglary could be a product of the growth that’s happening in the area. While there is no clear evidence of a crime trend, he said the increase in population and homes could correlate to a possible rise in crime.
Gutierrez said the HCSO is looking at possible manpower increase in the area. The HCSO has a substation located at the Hays County Pct. 4 offices, which is located along Roger Hanks Parkway.
“As it keeps growing, we have to keep patrolling that area,” Gutierrez said.
Vela said Sergei Giterman, general manager of Crepe Crazy, arrived Feb. 1 and assessed the situation. Originally, the plan was to close the business down for the day.
But Vela said his general manger “wouldn’t let that affect his business.”
Once the business was cleaned up and things settled down, Crepe Crazy reopened at noon the same day.
“He didn’t want something like that to affect our businesses, wanted to be better than that and stand strong,” Vela said.
Support from the community has also poured in for both businesses, Vela said.
“We’ve had a lot of comments and concern from the community, but wouldn’t accept anything other than getting a lead on the suspect and catching the person who just created a minor speed bump in our long and successful career,” Vela said.
