Several downtown Modesto businesses have windows smashed, items stolen in last 10 days

Several downtown Modesto businesses have had windows or glass doors smashed over the past week, including Subway, Starbucks and Rancho Fresco Cantina & Nightclub, according to police.

Two windows also were smashed at the building that houses the Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters and the Public Defender’s Office.

The man who smashed two floor-to-ceiling windows at the Subway at 10th and J streets early Friday also entered the restaurant and stole containers of chicken and American cheese, as well as soft drinks and bags of Cheetos, store manager Mandip Bains said.

She said the man also nabbed about $12 in change from the cash register. The Subway replaced the windows later Friday. She said the vandalism and theft were captured on security footage.

Rancho Fresco had glass smashed about 5 a.m. Thursday, manager Abel Larios said. He said a cell phone, laptop, tablet and two bottles of alcohol were stolen. He said a man and a woman were responsible, but Police Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear said they were bystanders and officers have arrested another man in the incident.

She said police suspect that man also is responsible for the Subway vandalism and theft. She said another man was arrested in the other vandalism incidents. Both men are in custody and were not acting together, Bear said.

She said Rancho Fresco and Subway were the only businesses victimized by theft but police recognize the economic impact to all of the businesses.

“We understand the hardships these acts of vandalism and thefts have had on our local businesses,” Bear said. “The Modesto Police Department is committed to actively addressing these issues and ensuring the safety and security of our community.”

She said this level of vandalism and theft “is definitely out of the ordinary in downtown” as police continue to work on the city core’s quality-of-life issues. She said the department is working with the Downtown Improvement District and encouraging businesses to promptly report problems.

In another incident, a man threw a rock through the glass door of The Chartreuse Muse gallery around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, according to gallery director Kelly Troxler. She said the man was disheveled and shirtless.

Troxler said the man grabbed a bar code scanner from the gallery and then threw it down. But she said he did not take or damage anything else in the gallery. The gallery remains closed while it awaits a replacement door, though The Chartreuse Muse continues to hold classes in the back of its building.

The Starbucks on Ninth Street also had windows smashed Sept. 16, according to an employee.

Bear said the vandalism at the building housing the Registrar of Voters and Public Defender occurred early Sunday, Sept. 17.

Rancho Fresco Cantina & Nightclub manager Larios said the stolen laptop contained all the information the disc jockeys use to control the sound and lighting when the nightclub features music three nights a week.

“That was our mixing board,” Larios said, adding it will take at least a week to replace the laptop and program it with the software for the disc jockeys. He said the laptop also was used when bands perform every couple of months.

Bear said the other business hit by vandalism was Urbano California Bistro.

Urbano owner Noe Sanchez said the front and rear glass doors to his business were smashed, with the rear door smashed twice this week. He said it cost $350 to repair and replace them. That’s $1,050 in total.

“It’s sad for us,” he said. “We are trying to keep a living. This is a family business.”