Cops 1, Crooks 0

Burglary Good News A local business is keeping score and Mobile police are winning.

by Jessica Taloney

Published: Fri, May 08, 2009 - 2:24 pm CST Last Updated: Fri, May 08, 2009 - 3:54 pm CST

Sharon Mihalsky's business has been hit three times by thieves, but last week was the first time someone actually broke-in her building.

"Once they got inside she just trashed the area looking for cash," says Mihalsky, who owns Blue Haven Pools and Spas on Dawes Road.

The thieves, who police say are Noell Dahlen, 28, and Lauren Davis, 26, triggered an alarm inside the store. Before they could get away, police were already there.

"They saw the person who was coming out of the driveway and was going down on Dawes Road toward the gas station," she says.

The suspects were arrested just a few hundred feet from the crime scene and charged with a total of five business burglaries.

"The officers were pretty happy about apprehending those two burglars that were terrorizing most of West Mobile," says Christopher Levy, a spokesperson for the Mobile Police Department.

To show their appreciation for the investigators' quick work, Mihalsky and her husband used the marquee in front of their business to say thank you. They wrote "Cops 1, Crooks 0."

"Any recognition can be positive, but good recognition we know we like," says Levy.

Mihalsky hopes the sign isn't just a message to the good guys. She wants the bad guys to read it too and think twice before they burglarize another business in the area.

Dahlen and Davis both appeared in court Friday. Dahlen faces 17 charges including 11 counts of burglary. Davis is charged with 5 counts of burglary. Both women are still in jail.

WKRG.com » News Stream » Alabama