Three arrested for burglary of Warden store

Thousands of dollars worth of goods, food and display cases were destroyed at Five Foods Market in Warden Sunday night. Three people were arrested. Photo by Candice Boutilier/Columbia Basin Herald

by Candice Boutilier<br>Herald Staff Writer
| October 1, 2008 9:00 PM

Thousands of dollars in damage

WARDEN - At Five Foods Market in Warden, half of the inside of the store is blocked from the public with caution tape because it was vandalized Sunday night.

Three people were arrested for the burglary and police are looking for more people involved, Police Chief Ken Krebs said Tuesday.

Samuel Dean Mize, 20, Warden, and Benjamin Mendez Garza, 18, Warden, were each booked into Grant County Jail for burglary in the first degree, malicious mischief in the first degree and possession of stolen property in the third degree, according to Grant County Jail records.

Krebs said Mize and Garza are believed to have gang affiliations in the past, but are not believed to be current gang members.

A 16-year-old Warden male was also arrested in connection to the burglary. He was arrested for burglary in the first degree and theft, Krebs said.

He is a reported gang member, the police chief added.

In the portion of the store restricted from the public, shattered glass, laundry detergent, coffee grounds, kitchen utensils, cake, beans and rice are spilled and scattered all over the floor. Refrigeration units containing beer were broken, the glass shattered. The display cases containing alcoholic beverages were more than half empty.

The other side of the store remains open for business, and several display cases are only damaged, not broken.

The suspects gained entry through the roof, Krebs said. It appears they entered a crawl space, removed ceiling tiles to reach inside and opened a backdoor, he said.

They destroyed several items and attempted to steal at least two shopping carts filled with beer and other items, he said.

A neighbor called police when she saw the subjects exiting the store with the shopping carts, Krebs said.

Darlene Krueger heard strange noises near her vehicle at her home when the suspects were reportedly burglarizing the Third Street grocery store. Her husband walked out to confront the suspects and she called 9-1-1.

The suspects had the shopping carts near her vehicle, she said. She saw three or four people who were attempting to hide in the dark.

A police officer responded and arrested two of the subjects as they attempted to flee in a vehicle, Krueger said.

"I was mad because somebody was messing around where I live," she said. "The liquor store (Mel's This & That) had been broken into four times and I thought that was what was happening again."

Mel's This & That is only a few storefronts away from the grocery store and was burglarized for the fourth time Sunday morning.

"We did the right thing by calling the cops," Krueger said. "As citizens we've got to take our town back."

Krueger decided to participate in an interview because she wanted to be an example to others and encourage people to report crime. She said often-times people do not want to call police or admit to being a witness due to fear of retaliation.

Lucy Cano is the mother of the 16-year-old male arrested for the burglary. She was standing in the grocery store, eyes welled with tears, quietly defending her son in a conversation with a grocery store employee.

She said he was not involved and added she was with him at the time of the burglary. Cano said he was home in bed recovering from an illness.

She said when police arrived at her home to arrest her son, her son seemed confused about what was happening. An officer told her one of the adults arrested for the burglary identified her son as an accomplice, Cano said. She confirmed her son is friends with at least one of the men involved in the crime.

The incident remains under investigation. People with information can contact Krebs at the Warden Police Department by calling 509-349-2232.