Jan. 19—The Beckley Police Department is investigating a number of break-ins at local businesses in East Beckley where cash registers appeared to be the main target.

At least five businesses along Johnstown Road and North Eisenhower Drive were believed to have been broken into sometime between Tuesday evening and early Thursday morning, according to Rebecca Bradley, an employee at King Tut Drive-In.

Bradley said she showed up to work at 10 a.m. and learned that someone had pried open a window next to the cash register and stolen their cash box.

Bradley said Scrubbies Car Wash, Dragon's Den, Greg Lilly Auto Sales and Mad Tats Ink were also broken into.

"Everything is fine now. She only got the cash box. And most importantly, the cats are fine," read a post made to Dragon's Den's Facebook page on Thursday.

Attached to the post were three pictures. One photo shows shattered glass from the business front door coating the front entrance while another depicts items scattered around the checkout area where the business likely kept its cash register.

The final photo looks to be captured from a surveillance video and shows a white woman with dark hair wearing a green jacket over a black sweater and black pants.

The woman can be seen walking toward the register area with a shattered glass door behind her.

Beckley Police Chief Dean Bailey told The Register-Herald Thursday that his department is "working to identify a possible suspect as we speak."

"We continue to review video and process evidence from the area in an attempt to identify those who are responsible," Bailey said.

The Register-Herald visited the Dragon's Den's Thursday afternoon and found that the broken glass door had already been replaced, though the business was closed.

Mad Tats Ink also posted a photo of its shattered glass front door on its Facebook page on Wednesday with a message that read, "Not what you want to show up to work and see! Hope you enjoy the iPad and $200 bucks you got."

Carol Spade, the store manager at Little Lena's Scrubs & More, which is located next to Dragon's Den, said the store was not broken into this week because it was already targeted last week.

Spade said the assailant broke in by throwing a rock through a back window and stole $290 out of the register.

Spade said she thinks the woman caught on the Dragon's Den's surveillance camera is the same person who broke into her shop last week.

"They didn't touch nothin', just the money out of the register," said Spade, adding that this is exactly what happened at all the other businesses.

Spade said it was because of the break-in at Little Lena's that the owner of Dragon's Den decided to install a surveillance camera.

"When I got broken into, he went and got a surveillance camera and set it up," she said. "So when they broke into his (shop), they got her picture. And it's a good picture too."

David McKay, the owner of King Tut, said the person who broke in didn't get a dime from them because their cash register was empty.

"It was essentially a smash and grab," McKay said. "I would say they were looking for drug money, but that's my pure guess. And given the number of places broken into, I'd say they were in a vehicle, and they were cruising by and taking places out and who knows — they may be off and down the road by now."

Email: jmoore@register-herald.com