Burglar Caught on Camera Stealing Donations From Thrift Store

A Ramona thrift store was burglarized early Friday morning. The suspect stole donations from a secured area outside the Ramona Food and Clothes Closet on Main Street, and the whole thing was caught on security cameras.

Dressed in a stocking cap and light colored coat, the thrift store burglar was recorded rifling through clothing donations around 5 a.m.

Proceeds from the sale of donations the thief got away with would have helped the poor in that community.

The thief didn't make it into the Ramona Food and Clothes Closet, but he did get into the secure donation area behind this locked gate.

The store manager and investigating Sheriff's detectives believe this is the burglar's second time committing this same caper.

“He's stealing from somebody that might have really needed it,” Ramona Food and Clothes Closet Manager Vesna Curry said.

Curry said she's seen this suspect before.

Last March the store manager captured this still image of a man with similar features and wearing the same clothes leaving with stolen donations in the middle of the night.

"Last time they came over a different area we saw him leaving but not coming,” Curry said.

The thrift store repurposes some donations and sells the rest. The money is doled out to other organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs in the form of grants, food and scholarships.

It's strange, Curry thinks, that the thief would steal things he could probably get for free if he just asked. “I couldn't even begin to guess. It's weird,” Curry said.

Even stranger is what he stole - women's underwear. “I don't know if it’s due to drugs. I don’t know if he is a cross dresser. I don't know if he has a girlfriend that like pretty things," Curry said.

Curry is looking to nip this in the bud. What is petty theft now could encourage more serious crimes and adds an element of danger.

Besides the two thrift store burglaries, Curry says break-ins happened at two other shops near this same corner in recent weeks.

Sheriff's Detectives are investigating whether the same suspect is responsible for all of them.