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Shop Owner Vows To Carry On Despite Another Robbery

Apr 19, 2018 | 5:26 PM

A Vernon business owner isn’t ready to throw in the towel despite four break-ins and robberies over the last few weeks.

The latest for Nicolas Kynigos from Nicolas and Marie’s Pizza on 27th Street was overnight Wednesday when a suspect broke a window and stole a donation box.

“It was a small window that I hadn’t covered (boarded up) from the last three incidents, but he made it through, and he grabbed my fundraising money that I’m raising for Andrew Ward. He’s a children’s book author in Kelowna. It’s obviously a cash deal thing that this guy is after,” Kynigos tells Beach Radio News.

Pictured: Nicolas Kynigos, owner of Nicolas and Marie’s Pizza

Kynigos feels it’s the same suspect each time.

“I don’t take it personally, but my wife is taking it very personal. She thinks this is kind of like a terrorist attack, and our lives are threatened. She’s afraid somebody might throw a rock on my head at night and blah, blah, blah. She says, ‘Let’s move to Kelowna.'”

Kynigos says the suspect’s luck may have finally run out as a resident across the street got video of the suspect fleeing in the latest incident.

That footage will be given to police to see if they can identify him and make an arrest.

The store owner says it makes no sense to replace his front glass, and now he’s considering other options.

“Somebody is thinking of donating some bars finally to my front door, but everything is plywooded up and I’m going to keep it like that for a while, because I’m thinking of putting a big screen over the whole thing, but it is costly.”