Suspect still unidentified in Blind Center break-in

Published 6:27 pm Friday, July 7, 2017

The Blind Center of North Carolina is still without answers regarding a break-in at its office earlier this week.

Monday morning, director Liz Liles and coworker arrived at The Blind Center only to find out it had been broken into overnight. Liles said her coworker tried to open her office door but it had clearly been tampered with. The door was askew in its frame, and the paneling had been damaged. That’s when she noticed the entrance door.

“[Whoever did it], took a brick right through the entrance door. It’s completely shattered. I mean, glass everywhere, you can possibly imagine,” Liles said.

Once inside, the suspect continued to damage property. Liles said an old cash register was torn apart.

“We have a cash register in our gift shop that we don’t use. I guess whoever it was thought there was money in it, because it was dismantled. Absolutely trashed. They took the bottom piece, too,” Liles said. “It seems like it was just someone looking for some quick cash.”

Liles then took to Facebook to alert other businesses in town of the incident. She said her post reached 20,000 people, but still no answers. Liles said she hopes the incident at The Blind Center makes other businesses aware of the threat.

None of the devices in their research lab were damaged and nothing was taken from the gift shop, however, the incident is still a blow to The Blind Center. Liles said they don’t receive any state funding or federal grants, so this is a financial setback. Liles said they are still finding shards of glass scattered around the entrance door, leaving members and visitors on edge.

“It’s truly sad. There is obvious damage we have to fix. And there are people that can’t see … and now that’s a huge harm,” Liles said.

Liles filed police report with the Washington Police Department, but no answers have been found yet.

“At this point, we’re just waiting for what the police will be able to find,” Liles said.