Ramona gun shop burglarized during power shutoff
Dec 11, 2024
RAMONA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) -- San Diego Gas & Electric shut off power to reduce wildfire risks due to the Santa Ana winds. While thousands of county residents have finally begun to see their power restored after days without electricity, the outage created an opportunity for thieves to burglarize a gun shop in Ramona early Wednesday.
The burglary happened around 4 a.m. at Ramona Shootists’ Emporium. According to the shop’s owner, Dan Wisnewski, the thieves shattered the glass door and stole gun accessories, but no firearms were taken because they were secured in safes.
Ramona residents question SDG&E power shutoffs as thousands remain in dark
“It is disappointing that they decided to do that,” Wisnewski said. “All the time I’ve run this place, we’ve never been broken into. I’m glad, talking to the sheriff’s department, that other places weren’t hit.”
The lack of power left the shop without its alarm system or surveillance cameras, leaving it vulnerable during the public safety power shutoff.
The outage, which began Monday evening, forced many businesses in Ramona to adapt or close entirely. Danielle Jarrett, a stylist at Salon Blondies, said the timing couldn’t have been worse.
“It’s not a good time of year to close up, even if it’s just for a few days to a week,” Jarrett said.
Across the street at Main Street Coffee, owner Shawna Reckling faced challenges of her own. Unable to serve hot food or drinks, she created an iced drink menu to prevent product waste and keep her doors open.
“I just started thinking, how can I serve something so the product didn’t go bad and people got what they needed?” Reckling said.
Still, Reckling estimated she lost about $1,000 a day during the outage.
“We were probably losing a thousand dollars a day,” she said. “Yeah, that hurts.”
By noon Wednesday, power was restored in parts of Ramona, and residents began returning to stores to restock supplies. Joe Soza, a Santa Ysabel resident, was still without power as of the early afternoon, but said he understood the reasoning behind the shutoff.
“It’s really frustrating, but I understand why,” Soza said. “I’d rather the power be off than my house burn down.”
Despite frustrations, Reckling said she remains hopeful the community will rally to support local businesses as they recover.
“Ramona comes out with a force when they know they have to support small businesses. That’s what gets us through,” she said.
The investigation into the burglary at Ramona Shootists’ Emporium is ongoing. Sheriff's investigators are asking anyone with information to contact their office.