Crime & Safety

Store Owner Describes Armed Robber as 'Non-Threatening'

Sandy Freeman, who has owned Creme de la Creme for 12 years in Hubbard Woods, said that she does not anticipate another robbery anytime soon.

The owner of Creme de la Creme, the most recent store robbed by a man armed with a knife, described the offender as "non-threatening."

Earlier:

"He said, 'Sorry girls, this is a robbery,' and showed them the knife," said Sandy Freeman, referring to the women working at her store, located at 903 Green Bay Rd. "He had come in and said he wanted to buy some stationery. 'My dad wants to give my mom a party,' he told them."

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One of the workers at Creme de la Creme that day said that the man was polite, according to Freeman.

"It's really too bad, when they catch him it's armed robbery. He wasn't aggressive; they [the clerks] seemed fine. I've always told them to give them what's in the cash box. They let him leave, and then they called 911 and the police were there immediately."

Freeman said that she is considering new security options after the robbery. The 12-year owner said that most of her gift store's transactions are on credit cards, and she usually leaves only small amounts of cash in the store.

"We may look into the security thing called the panic button [that goes to the police]. This has never happened before, and I don't anticipate that it's going to happen again anytime soon."

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When talking about the other three shops recently victimized by robber, who wore a lifeguard jacket during each crime, Freeman said, "It's just a shock, those things don't happen here."

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