Just weeks after a popular Dania Beach eatery was nearly burnt to the ground, police say a group of opportunistic thieves stole thousands of dollars worth of equipment before the restaurant could reopen.
Tropical Acres at 2400 Griffin Road was temporarily closed after it was badly damaged by smoke and flames on Aug. 30. The fire, ruled accidental by investigators, ripped through the laundry and kitchen area and required extensive clean up.
According to the Broward Sheriff's Office, the owners moved several pieces of equipment to a covered patio while they worked to clean the restaurant for reopening, and that's when the thieves struck.
On Oct. 3, an employee spotted two men taking some items from the patio, and called police, Deputies arrived and arrested 21-year-old Gary Favors and 20-year-old Neville Allen.
When detectives looked at surveillance video, they saw Favors and Allen removing appliances and loading them onto a truck with the help of two other men on three separate dates.
The items stolen included a utensil washer worth $22,000, a water heater worth $5,500, a food warming cabinet worth $4,000 and two other items worth over $3,000.
Authorities say the items were sold for a fraction of their value at a local scrap yard.
The BSO is looking for the two other suspects believed to have helped in the thefts, and are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call Broward CrimeStoppers at 954-493-TIPS.
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