WEST SALEM, Ohio — The Village Cornerstone Restaurant, a staple in West Salem for 20 years, is recovering after a break-in last month that left the family-run business shaken.
“Well, I worked that night, so I closed up and cleaned. The next morning, there was money all over the floor,” Kimberly Hill, who has worked at the restaurant with her family since her parents purchased it, said.
Surveillance footage captured the suspect breaking in through a window.
“The way he came in on his back, it’s just crazy to watch,” Hill said. “They looked everywhere we leave or hide money."
The suspect stole hundreds of dollars from the register, leaving Hill and her family devastated.
“It was horrible. Mom would’ve helped anybody. If they needed money, she would’ve given it to them,” Hill said.
The theft hit especially hard as Hill’s mother now runs the restaurant alone following the death of Hill’s father.
“It’s something mom’s trying to keep going, and it’s just hard. Really hard,” Hill said.
Sergeant Timothy Nowlin with the West Salem Police Department said crimes like this are rare in the area.
“This was the first one reported like this in quite a while,” Nowlin said.
Surveillance footage also showed another person near Heavenly Delight, a business down the street, shortly before the break-in.
Police believe the incidents could be connected and are sending the video for enhancements to identify the suspects.
The break-in has led to changes in the West Salem Police Department’s patrol strategy, Nowlin said, even as the department deals with budget constraints.
“Our budget is low, and we were asked to cut hours, but because of this, we won’t,” he told News 5.
If you have any information on recent break-ins, you're asked to call the West Salem Police Department at 419-853-4440.
