Home care, dental offices burglarized over weekend

Editor's note: The following story has been edited to correct the types of offices involved.

While investigating a possible burglary Sunday at Comfort Care In Home Services, 1858 Broadway, Cape Girardeau Police Department Sgt. Rick Schmidt said similar incidents were discovered at three doctors' offices.

Those offices are those of Dr. James T. Main, 1854 Broadway, Ruopp & Ruopp Dentistry, 1818 Broadway, and John L. Sauer, DDS, 1834 Broadway, according to the police department incident summary issued Sunday afternoon. Schmidt said without definitive evidence, police are assuming the burglaries happened "overnight."

Schmidt said it appears nothing was taken, but the business owners will do complete inventories to determine that. Asked what a prospective burglar would be looking for, Schmidt said police don't know.

"The business owners asked the same thing. They wanted to know what we thought they were looking for," Schmidt said. "There's really no way for us to answer. They could have been looking for anything."

He said businesses with controlled substances must follow U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration guidelines on where substances can be stored, what can be stored and how to store them, Schmidt said.

Schmidt said a couple of the businesses have been burglarized before.

"We provided them with numerous [tips] on how to harden their businesses ... but that's up to each individual property owner or business owner to take the crime prevention measures that they see fit," such as extra lighting, closed-circuit security cameras and a different kind of doors.

Pertinent addresses:

1818 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

1834 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

1854 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

1858 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.