John Jefferson
A burger restaurant in Portland has been broken into eight times in the space of just two years, sparking concerns from the owner over police shortages in the area.
Dick’s Primal Burger restaurant in Woodstock was burglarized three times in just three months in 2022 and has been targeted at least another five times since.
The latest break-in came on Friday, the fast food restaurant’s owner Liam Pelot told KGW News.
Pelot said that each incident has cost the business around $700 in damages, including paying to replace smashed-up glass doors and windows.
Portland police told the local news outlet that other incidents involved two laptops and an entire safe being stolen.
Pelot told KGW News that, while the business survived the Covid-19 pandemic, he is concerned about the criminal activity now impacting the burger joint.
He has blamed a lack of police staffing in Portland for the spate of break-ins.
“It really affects us from a state of mind. It’s just feeling powerless, feeling like we just don’t get the support from the city and from the police. I know they are doing the best that they can,” he told KGW News.
“The folks in the city just need to agree that there is a problem. Stop pretending that it will fix itself or it is going to go away, and kind of set politics aside.”
The Independent contacted Portland Police Bureau, Dick’s Primal Burger and the City of Portland mayor for comment.
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