Ephrata Chamber money swiped

Burglars break into chamber office, director's home Police unsure if weekend incident is related to ongoing rash of burglaries in the city

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Chamber of Commerce was hoping to fund a number of events around town this year with the money raised during the chamber's annual "Taste of the Basin" auction last Friday.

But money raised from Friday's event is now gone, taken by a burglar who broke into the chamber offices Saturday night. Ephrata Chamber Director Rita Tuller's home was also ransacked Monday.

More than 200 people gathered at the Taste of The Basin event at the Ephrata Recreation Center, the sole fund-raiser for the chamber.

"It was just very, very devastating," Tuller said of the burglary.

Tuller left the chamber offices Saturday night, and found an office window broken when she returned Sunday morning. That window is now boarded up. Tuller said she hadn't been able to go through every transaction, but suspects as much as $12,000 has been stolen.

Tuller initially reported a small amount of money stolen, but later found that all money and receipts were stolen from a cabinet in the chamber office.

"I was as sick as you can get," Tuller said of the stolen funds.

Normally the chamber doesn't keep thousands of dollars in its office, but Tuller said these burglars knew what they were looking for this weekend.

Tuller was also shocked to discover that her home had been ransacked Monday, by what she thinks were thieves looking for money. In addition to combing through her home, Tuller said vandals also covered her stereo with a red substance.

Ephrata Police Chief Joe Varick said both incidents are being investigated by the department. He said though that it is not known whether this burglary is related to others reported in the city.

Ephrata officers have been responding to a rash of "daylight" burglaries around town, with entry gained through doors and windows residents have left open or unlocked. Those burglaries had initially been confined to one part of town, but Varick said this week there have been recent reports throughout the area.

Tuller said that it is upsetting to find the donation funding gone. She said she has plans to change the way money is handled following an event like the Taste of the Basin.

"We've brought it back here for years," she said, "In the future we will deposit it in the bank."