Cec Vandersnick had just arrived home from work at the local bowling alley. She considered it a typical day; she helped customers and made sure everyone had a good time. So she didn’t consider it typical at all when she came home and found her house had been broken into.

Vandersnick, the manager of Wildcat Lanes in Wayne, reported prescription medications and over $800 in cash was stolen. The theft was just one of many which happened in Wayne throughout the 2018-2019 school year. Vandersnick is no stranger to theft, since she also reported a theft from her business’s safe. Wayne Police officers helped track down and arrest the thief in the bowling alley theft.

“[The theft] was nerve-wracking,” Vandersnick said. “It was very emotional because we had no way of knowing, and couldn’t figure out how the person was getting in [the bowling alley], how they were getting into our locked safe and how randomly it was done.”

Vandersnick, however, is not the only victim of theft. Bill Melena, owner of the White Dog Pub in downtown Wayne, also found cash and alcohol stolen from his business. Fortunately, Wayne Police intercepted and arrested the thief.

“Luckily, with the good police work from the City of Wayne Police Department, as well as some help from the Dixon County and Wayne County Sheriff Departments, we were able to find the man who had stolen the money,” Melena said. “We determined who the individual was, he was arrested, and has gone to court and been found guilty, and is serving part of his sentence right now in Dixon County Jail.”

Though the Wayne Police Department has not yet found and identified a suspect in the case of Vandersnick’s house theft, Vandersnick also felt the police’s efforts were crucial in helping her with her investigation.

“I contacted [Wayne Police] about my house,” Vandersnick said. “They were there. They did everything that they could, they swabbed for DNA, they took fingerprints. They did everything that they possibly could.”

Regarding the causes of the thefts, Wayne Police Sergeant Brian Swanson remained uncertain, believing chance plays a central role in when, where and how thefts occur.

“Sometimes the opportunity presents itself, and sometimes someone’s just looking for something for free,” Swanson said. “It could be a cell phone, it could be pain meds, there’s a whole line of targets for theft, and a lot of it comes down to opportunity.”

In the meantime, Swanson and the Wayne Police Department gave advice to students and community members to prevent future thefts from occurring.

“There’s always a stigma that since Wayne is a small community, that it’s a safe community, which is mostly true,” Swanson said. “But we do have stuff that happens. The easiest things to do is lock your doors, lock your vehicles, keep your property out of sight and watch what you post on social media. Just simple things like that will go a long ways in keeping this stuff from happening.”

In terms of theft prevention, Vandersnick decided to approach the problem from a technological perspective. She encourages others to do the same.

“Everybody needs security cameras up nowadays,” Vandersnick said. “There’s no ands, ifs or buts about it. They are going to be caught then, because it’s going to be out on a surveillance camera. And if the cops come to question you, work with them. They’re trying to help somebody out.”

Melena felt preventative measures needed to be approached from a broad perspective, warning students and community members to keep their guard up wherever they go.

“[My advice is] just not to be naïve, not just in theft, but in anything,” Melena said. “Just because Wayne’s a smaller town doesn’t mean that somebody couldn’t slip something into your drink, or follow you home and know where you live. Just be aware of your surroundings and take precautions.” 

Wayne Police officers are still searching for leads to uncover any suspects linked to Vandersnick’s house burglary. Swanson, however, remains optimistic that with help from the community, anything is possible.

“We appreciate any support we can get from the community,” Swanson said. “We have family, we have friends that live within the community. We do our best to try to solve the crimes when we can. Sometimes the evidence doesn’t always help us, but we do our best to try to make things right.”