A downtown business had more than $3,000 worth of merchandise stolen over the weekend.
The missing merchandise? Live lizards, snakes, and scorpions as well as accessory items such as cages.
The Pets N’ More at the intersection of Second and Main Street in downtown Platte City had a burglary occur sometime between 10:30 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday, according to Al Devalkenaere, Platte City Police Department detective.
Devalkenaere said someone entered the store and removed animals and merchandise with a value possibly as high as $3,300. The original estimate of items stolen was around $1,000, but has increased as more items are noticed missing.
According to Devalkenaere, there were no signs of forced entry to the business and the store owners suspect a prior employee of the theft. The prior employee may have still had a key to the store.
The store opened last year. An official ribbon cutting was held for the store in April of 2008. Pets N’ More offer several varieties of animals for sale as well as merchandise for the care of those animals.
According to the Missouri Secretary of State website, documents to create the business were filed in January of 2008.
The Platte City Police Department is continuing to investigate the burglary. Anyone with information should call the police department at 816-858-5150.