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IE Burglars Cut Through Barbershop Wall To Reach Valuable Loot Next Door

TEMECULA (CBSLA) — For a second time in six months, burglars broke into an Inland Empire barbershop, not for what was in the shop, itself, but for the valuable inventory next door.

Medical marijuana dispensary THC Temecula is outfitted with a buzz-in security gate and cameras, which is likely why would-be thieves did not attempt to break into the store located at the 41800 block of Enterprise Circle Dr. South. Instead, they tried breaking in through an adjoining wall inside The Men's Room barbershop.

"All my stuff was fine. They just wanted to get to next door, and they just needed me as an access route," barbershop owner Darla Liscombe told CBS2 News.

She said the burglars pried open her door, then broke through the drywall to get into the dispensary. A similar thing happened in July, which Liscombe said ruined her plumbing, forcing her to shut down for the day.

"Today, at least we got to work," Liscombe said Friday.

Dispensary employees did not wish to talk to CBS2, nor did they mention whether the thieves were caught on security camera.

However, the Riverside County Sheriff's deputies said the dispensary did not report anything stolen.

Still, it left hairdresser Rachel Maravel feeling uneasy. "Now, it's like an anxiety, feeling that it's going to happen again," she said.

With recreational pot now legal in California, Liscombe is aware more pot shops might be opening soon, potentially bringing crime with it.

"They need to be well-protected," Maravel said. "It's almost like having a jewelry store."

The dispensary has offered to add more security cameras and increase patrols.

Anyone with information on the break-in is encouraged to call Temecula police at (951)696-4357.

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