Thieves Strike at Laundromat

Simi Valley’s blowtorch bandits have apparently struck again, taking about $5,000 after gutting a change machine at a coin-operated Laundromat, according to police.

The incident occurred last week and was the second at that store in the past seven months. It was the fourth theft of a coin Laundromat in Ventura County this year and follows closely on the heels of a July 27 burglary in Moorpark in which burglars, also using a blowtorch, stole $1,500 in change.

The theft took place between 11 p.m. Aug. 2 and 6:15 a.m. Aug. 3 at the Coin Laundry in the 4400 block of Alamo Street, said Sgt. Bob Gardner of the Simi Valley Police Department. Because the store is open 24 hours a day, an unknown number of suspects were able to enter the store without using force, he said.

The suspects used the blowtorch to empty the change machine, causing $4,500 worth of damage and destroying the machine in the process, Gardner said.

The burglars then broke into a storeroom at the back of the store, but aren’t believed to have taken anything else, he said.

Gardner said police have no clues as to how many suspects are involved or whether this incident is connected to the previous burglaries.

Meanwhile, investigators continue to look into the burglary at the Moorpark Laundromat, where an automatic lock system malfunctioned and apparently allowed the suspects to enter without forcing their way in.

Gardner said coin-operated laundry stores are generally easy targets for criminals, since they are usually deserted during the early-morning hours.

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call the Simi Valley Police Department at 583-6950 or the Moorpark office of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department at 532-2700.