JACKSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Stark County businesses are on high alert due to continued break-ins in the area. It's causing business owners aggravation on top of lost money.
Stores in at least four shopping plazas has been dealing with the cleanup after windows and doors were shattered.
One store was hit twice.
Surveillance photos from Aug. 30 captured a hooded intruder making his way around Belden Nails and Spa in Jackson Township.
A glass door was shattered, and more than $5,000 was stolen, according to owner Henry Kai.
"It's terrible. I've been here six years. It's very safe. It's never been like this before," Kai said.
Ten days later, another break-in occurred. The other side of the glass door was busted open. Video shows the crook damaging and even slamming an ATM to the ground, but it proved to be too heavy to get out of the business.
"They completely damaged the ATM, but they couldn't get the money out, so we had to have the ATM replaced," Kai said.
Jackson Township police are investigating break-ins that also happened this week at two businesses at different but nearby shopping plazas—one at Yankee Candle and the other at Lovely Nails.
Video from that nail salon shows the thief tossing aside a cash drawer after stealing some change.
Last week, News 5 interviewed several business owners after a rash of middle-of-the-night break-ins in Canton, including Crystal Dawson Johnson, who runs Anomaly, a clothing business.
RELATED: 6 businesses in Stark County vandalized overnight this week
"Definitely aggravation just because I haven't been here very long and just being a little inconvenient with having to have it boarded up and stuff like that to keep it safe," Dawson Johnson said.
A hair salon and travel agency were also broken into, but nothing was stolen. Video from a pet shop showed a hooded individual carrying something, and then moments later, he broke glass at the salon and went inside.
"If it was just vandalism, that is really more upsetting than someone stealing; at least they need the money, but to me, I don't understand why you would do that, anyone would do that," Hair's to you salon owner Sue Carter said.
In all, about a dozen Stark County businesses in at least four shopping plazas have been victimized over the past two weeks.
Police have not said how many of the cases could be connected, or if they have any leads.
Kai is upgrading security measures and has a message: Leave him alone.
"We're not gonna keep any money in the store. Zero. We're gonna install a camera and security, so if they come back, they're gonna get caught. If they come back, they're not gonna get anything, so don't waste your time," he said.
