VISALIA, Calif. (KMPH) -
A thief strikes in the middle of the day at a Visalia laundromat. Three minutes later he's out the door with a bag full of cash. While the place was deserted when he pulled off the job, big brother was watching from above. A security camera never blinks. The owner of the laundromat in Visalia is hoping someone in the South Valley will recognize the thief.
What appears to be a young man wearing a plaid shirt, blue jeans and sporting a goatee hit the Coin Op Laundromat on east Tulare just after noon Thursday. His tools were likely professional as he opened the change box in 15 seconds.
Augustine Orozco couldn't believe it happened so quickly. "He was here all alone. He came in here with a special tool, broke in and took all my money in quarters, and he did a lot of damage."
Orozco says the loss of cash and damage totals 3–thousand dollars. The soda machine was a tougher box to crack, and that's where the majority of the damage took place.
There was one witness who watched the crook at work. He helped himself to a cold drink when the job was done. "It makes me angry. You know you work hard, and these guys just come and take away what you have."
Orozco makes his living a few quarters at a time. His profit margin just shrunk and he hopes the surveillance video makes a difference in the case. "I just want to catch this guy. I want this guy in jail.
Augustine Orozco says his reason for speaking out is so other Visalia businesses will put up their guard and keep the crook from striking again. If you recognize the man you are encouraged to call Visalia Police.
