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String Of Westmoreland Co. Businesses Ransacked By Thieves

WESTMORELAND COUNTY (KDKA) – Money gone, a mess left behind -- that's what happened when thieves went from business to business in a Westmoreland County shopping center.

The break-in happened at a plaza on Route 30, which is generally pretty busy. But the individuals hit at night and went from one store and business to another.

Green Gate Commons has quite a few different businesses, nails to food. But recently a few shared something no business owner wants to deal with: a break-in.

"A burglary spree at one shopping plaza," said State Police Tpr. Steve Limani.

That's what investigators are calling what happened. The businesses include a sign shop, a restaurant and a nail salon -- they were all broken into.

"The cash is gone, the computer is gone," said business owner Kelly Lee Dinh. "I had my iPad here and it's gone."

Dinh's Diamond Nails was one of the targets.

"They bust down the back door," she said.

Dinh's one of many doors compromised by determined thieves.

"There's an area behind the business where they're able to access all of them in a row," said Limani. "The fact that they went into each one of the businesses and tried to break into those doors tells you a couple things. One, they had time. They felt like they had the time to do that. And second, they are desperate."

Now desperation falls on the business owners like Kelly Dinh. She lost important documents, a good bit of cash and half a day's business cleaning up the mess the crooks left behind.

"Very frustrating," said Dinh.

State Police say they've got very little to go on, so they are asking for the public's help to catch a thief.

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