On Friday, June 1, at 4:48am, Justin Shivley, the CEO of New Generation, was woken up by a phone call. The alarm system of his Measure BB licensed Santa Ana dispensary had just gone off, prompting the security company to call him. Shivley immediately pulled up the security footage from his phone and saw four male intruders inside his shop.
“I was furious,” Shivley said. “I called back the security company back and told them to let the cops know that they were still in the building.”
The burglars evaded the shop before law enforcement arrived. But everything was caught on camera. The four men who broke into the dispensary wore nothing to cover their faces, they didn’t wear gloves and even left blood on the glass where they broke the window to get inside the shop. The camera also caught an image of their getaway car, which appeared to be an older Toyota Camry missing hub caps.
“They left fingerprints when they put their hands down on the counter to get on the other side of the display cases,” Shivley said. “The police found blood there, too. There was also blood left on the glass so we have their DNA and it’s getting tested.”
Forty grams of flower, a few edibles, some pre-rolled joints and a couple concentrates were taken, according to Shivley, who says it could’ve been a lot worse considering no cash was taken. But the intruders attempted to abscond with more, leaving a trail of products from inside the dispensary to where they got in the car, basically outlining their escape route.
What’s perhaps the most frustrating about the break in, is that it’s the second one within a the last five weeks. Shivley believes the incidents were unrelated, however. “They didn’t get anything the first time,” he says. “But they did break the glass. As soon as the glass breaks my alarm goes off, so I think that’s probably what scared them.”
But New Generation isn’t the only business that’s been broken into. Main Electric, the company directly next door to the dispensary, was broken into recently as well. “Thievery is a problem everywhere,” Shivley says. “All companies have to worry about it– not just marijuana shops. From cars to tools to marijuana, people will steal anything. It’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Because New Generation is a legal dispensary in Santa Ana, Shivley has the right the press charges against the men who broke in. Unlike the way dispensary theft worked in the past–where shop owners couldn’t really call the cops because their business was illegal and they’d essentially be calling the police on themselves, Measure BB-compliant dispensaries are treated just like any other legal business in Santa Ana.
“When the cops came they treated the situation like any other, which solidifies the fact we are a legal business,” Shivley said. “Hopefully all of this will let the guys who broke in and other thieves know that we are not afraid to call the cops anymore. There will be a reward for anyone who can help us find these guys.”
**If you know information on any of the men who broke in, you are encouraged to reach out to New Generation dispensary or Santa Ana PD. You can leave anonymous tips with us too: mc******@oc******.com
