Cannabis dispensary Bud Hut burgled for second time within a year
Bud Hut near Murdock on Washington State Route 14 was burgled early Friday Morning. Thieves stole thousands of dollars of inventory as well as causing damage to display cases and doors.
A Kilickitat County Sheriff’s Deputy was called out to an alarm at the Bud Hut near Murdock at 12:48 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 20.
Upon arrival, the Deputy discovered the front door of the green 1,400 square-foot building had been destroyed with a sledgehammer.
Two deputies entered the building at 1:25 a.m., but the burglars had already vacated the store.
Entrance door to Bud Hut was destroyed by burglars early Friday Morning in a theft that included many ounces of cannabis and cannabis edibles.
However, three suspects were captured on a surveillance camera - two of the men wore ski masks and a third, just a blue surgical mask pulled down below his nose.
Bud Hut Manager Brina Calderwood said the thieves can be seen swinging a sledgehammer and it appears a hammer and a crowbar were used to gain entrance through the service door.
“He was putting his whole body into it,” she said. “He was just going all out and wailing on that door.”
She said it appeared the three men were familiar with the store as they approached with their vehicle from the east, then pulled into the parking lot and reversed the vehicle toward the back door. They emerged from the car and began their assault on the locked entrance.
Yellow caution tape was strewn across the parking lot Friday in an attempt to preserve the tire marks of the suspect vehicle.
Once the scofflaws were inside, they smashed the glass in two display cases containing marijuana flower and edibles and took much of that portion of the inventory. In addition, they broke into the backroom and stole additional inventory.
Bud Hut Employees, as required by law, had to do a complete inventory of the store within 24 hours to let the Washington State Cannabis Board know exactly what was taken as each item in a dispensary is tracked.
The glass in two of the display cabinets at the Bud Hut near Murdock was destroyed in an early morning burglary on Friday, Nov. 20.
It is a huge hassle, employees said.
“You feel violated,” said Calderwood, who aslo manages Golden Dispensary in Goldendale. “When I got here, I started crying,” noting she had worked hard to make the business a success.
Calderwood was working diligently to replace the door in the building on Friday afternoon to properly secure the building.
The business lost thousands of dollars in inventory and damages.
It was the second time the store has been burgled within the year.
From The Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page:
On March 4, 2020, at 3:03 a.m. the Klickitat County Sheriff's Office responded to an alarm call at the Bud Hut, located in Murdock.
Upon arrival, Sergeant Fred Kilian found that there was a broken window and evidence that someone had been inside. Sergeant Kilian was on the scene within minutes of being notified of the call. Further investigation and viewing of the security cameras show two subjects climbing a fence and then breaking the window out. Interior cameras show a subject inside stealing totes of merchandise.
An extensive investigation was done and three juvenile males were arrested for charges ranging from burglary, theft and malicious mischief.
The Klickitat County Sheriff's Office would like to thank the Klickitat County Juvenile Probation Office, the community and some family members for their assistance and cooperation during the investigation.
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