The Bennington Country Store was robbed late last week, the town’s police chief said.
Chief Bret Sullivan said the incident occurred between 8 p.m. Wednesday evening and 5:30 a.m. Thursday morning, which is when police were alerted to the burglary.
On Monday morning, Sullivan said the investigation was ongoing.
“We’re still working on it,” Sullivan said.
He would not comment on whether the department had any suspects.
The store’s manager, Michelle Flagg, said she discovered the robbery when she came into to open the store on Thursday morning.
“It was freezing in here and the alarm was double beeping,” Flagg said. “The back doors were wide opened, too. That’s when I knew something was up.”
The store’s cash register, which was one of many items taken during the break-in, was located on the side of Stoddard Road in Hancock, according to a Hancock Police Department news release.
Sullivan said the discovery of the safe was a one-time occurance and that Hancock police were not assisting in the case.
The store hasn’t skipped a beat despite the circumstances, opening its doors for business on the same day the items were stolen.
“It’s so localized, you know?” Flagg said on Thursday. “People stop here just for coffee and stuff we’re trying to keep it going.”
Flagg said they found an old cash register out back and are resuming operations as close to normal as possible. She said customers were walking in all day Thursday and asking what is going on because they had seen police officers outside of the shop in the morning.
“They really can’t believe it,” Flagg said.
Sullivan said police are following up on leads and hoping to get some public input.
“We’re hoping someone from the public saw something and will contact us,” he said.
Anyone who saw anything out of the ordinary or may have any information that would assist in the investigation should contact Bennington Police at 588-3409.