HOUSTON – Deputies search for a burglar who has hit two restaurants in two weeks in northwest Harris County, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said de burglarized Juanita’s Mexican Restaurant, 11550 Louetta on Feb. 10, and then a week later, broke into Andy’s Kitchen, at 15202 Mason in Cypress.
Juanita’s Mexican Restaurant has been in the Nunez family for three generations and has been burglarized before. The owner said they know burglaries are part of the cost of doing business.
But this time, they said the burglar was different. The Nunez family said the suspect seemed a little more skilled and more professional.
“It seems he knows what he’s doing. Its not like he’s a kid off the street. Someone who has done this for years," said owner Miguel Nunez.
After prying out a window with a couple of crowbars, the restaurant’s surveillance video shows the burglar crawling along the floor, carefully avoiding motion sensors that could set off the alarm.
“He just crawled through the whole restaurant, looks around in our back room and then he crawls back to the front of the restaurant. At that point, he stands up and the sensors get him and the alarm goes off,” Nunez said.
The suspect only got away with $20, caused $400 worth of damage doing it.
A week later, Nunez said he saw on Facebook that Andy’s Kitchen was also hit. After comparing video, Nunez and Andy realized it was the same guy.
“The calls me, he’s like, the same as that guy, the same exact guy who had broken into us this morning,” Nunez said.
The two owners are making that video public, including a shot of the getaway car, a black Hyundai or Nissan Sentra, to try to help detectives find the suspect. Nunez said he’ll just rest easier with the burglar behind bars.
“It’s just our peace of mind knowing our business isn’t safe as it used to be in years past,” Nunez said.
Deputies are asking that anyone who recognizes the suspect in the video to call Houston Crime stoppers at 713-222-8477.