Peoria restaurant vows to 'keep going and fight even harder' after burglaries

On April 10, the Peoria Police Department sought the community’s help in identifying the suspect in a burglary at Cyd’s in the Park. The business remains open to the public after the incident.

Cyd’s Vice President Emily Cotton was initially surprised to see the security image on social media. However, she said she was hopeful that sharing the photo online would lead to someone in the community identifying the suspect.

As of April 11, Cotton said she learned of an individual seen at Metro Centre and noted “we strongly believe this is our guy” in a text to the Journal Star. Police spokesperson Semone Roth did not confirm whether the burglary suspect has been identified.

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The longtime Peoria business experienced two burglaries over the past week, Cotton said, with each taking place overnight.

“We never had this happen – 36 years in this community. We've never had someone successfully break into our business,” Cotton said. “And it just sort of makes you sad because it's an honor to have a small business in the community like ours this long.”

Cotton said the establishment’s electrical boxes showed signs of being tampered with after the initial burglary and said it seemed the individual was attempting to cut off the building’s electricity. During both incidents, Cotton said the business’s shed was damaged and items were taken from the main building.

The restaurant extended its hours to include lunch services this week, which Cotton said takes a lot of behind-the-scenes effort. She said worrying about staff and community safety, as well as the business’s wellbeing, on top of operations is something “no small business owner – especially in a community like Peoria – should have to worry about.”

While navigating the past few days has been “exhausting,” Cotton said the burglary highlights the importance of “community vigilance” and keeping security measures up to date. Cyd’s in the Park has already taken steps to improve its security, Cotton said.

“Little businesses have a lot of guts and grit,” Cotton said, “and we're going to keep going and fight even harder.”

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This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria restaurant says it will keep going after burglaries