Chicken-Fried News: Grabbed grills

Meat, razors, baby formula, cosmetics, alcohol, laptops, over-the-counter drugs, smartphones and clothing — these are all included on Business Insurance Quotes’ list of top items stolen from stores.

The list does not include grills, but maybe it should.

They are a big deal during the summer, especially to those living in places like Oklahoma City with prime grilling weather. Many people have them or are buying them at this time of year. Drive through any neighborhood with your car windows down and you’ll smell the enticing aroma of charcoal-cooked meats. The grills can range in price from simple, $20 charcoal-fueled rigs to sleek, stainless steel monsters that can easily cost thousands of dollars and feed an army or a football team.

It turns out the summer staple was a hot ticket for one thief in the OKC metro.

American Propane — an Oklahoma propane and outdoor kitchen and living business owned by the Grigsby family and open for 81 years — caught a hooded thief on camera taking his time looking in drawers and helping himself to drinks from an outdoor refrigerator during the hour he spent on store property before stealing two high-end Primo grills.

“He knows where to come to get the best,” owner Jim Grigsby told News9.com. “In my opinion, I think he kind of did know what he was going after.”

He broke a gate lock on the property and even brought a dolly to assist him in his heist. Meanwhile, the family-owned business is out thousands of dollars.

“When you take something from a small business, it affects them a lot more than if you take from a corporation,” Jessica Grigsby told News9.com.

The news outlet reported that investigators recovered fingerprints and DNA evidence from a water bottle and cigarette butts but are still on the lookout for the grill plunderer.

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