Window Into the Criminal Mind
Con artists swipe cash from safe at Blue Goose Cantina on Greenville Avenue
The cash drawer at Blue Goose Cantina is a bit short after a pair of con artists paid a visit to the Greenville Avenue restaurant. Around 10:30 am on April 2, Blue Goose general manager Loren Talley says a known representative of Farmers Brothers Coffee showed up and started handing out samples.
While one suspect shared coffee samples with the restaurant staff, another man slipped into the back room. He found an unlocked safe and swiped $2,400 cash — but not before staring directly into the security camera on two occasions.
The thief found an unlocked safe and swiped $2,400 cash — but not before staring directly into the security camera on two occasions.
The thief appears startled by the surveillance, as he gives an eyebrows-raised glance, and at one point removes his hat and peers more closely into the camera.
Talley says at the time of the theft, he was walking around doing liquor inventory. "The office door was unlocked, and the safe was unlocked because we were about to start business for the day. Whoever was involved was definitely aware of how we do things."
Talley says his surveillance video shows the thief chatting with the Farmers Brothers employee before entering the office. "It looks very suspicious from the video," he says.
The thief was wearing jeans, a white T-shirt and a blue apron, which made him blend in with other restaurant workers.
Talley provided Dallas police with the video evidence, and the department has released a statement implicating Farmers Brothers in the crime. Calls to Farmers Brothers Coffee in Arlington were not immediately returned.
Although Talley is aware of similar cash grabs from unlocked restaurant safes on Greenville Avenue, he says it was a first for Blue Goose. "I've never heard of something as brazen as coming in during the hours of operation and stealing out of the safe," he says.
Anyone with information on the suspects should call Dallas police at 214-670-5760 or Crime Stoppers at 214-373-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information which leads to the arrest and indictment for this offense or any other felony.