Authorities say two men methodically drove thousands of dollars away from a Yucaipa restaurant on Saturday (in the form of fish) under the cover of darkness in the morning.
Eighty-five koi were loot in the burglary involving round-trip buckets.
The security video obtained by The Times shows two people holding buckets and repeatedly entering and exiting the outdoor property of the Yukapa Oak House restaurant. Silvia Duarte, who owns the company with her husband, said the restaurant has a small ranch where customers can observe various exotic animals such as Amazon Cancer, sleepy goats and koi fish.
“How can you trust people now?” Duarte said. “We have antiques in the restaurant, we have classic cars. It’s a unique place you can’t see everywhere.”
David Smith, 42, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of being a theft after investigators tracked his vehicle from the scene, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Smith held on Thursday at the detention center with a margin of $30,000.
Another suspect is still very large.
Saturday’s fishing expedition took place a week after Duarte contacted police as she began to notice that the number of koi in the pond seemed to be decreasing. Fish with certain patterns are disappearing, she said. A total of 85 people were stolen, including Saturday’s theft.
However, since there was no threat at the time, authorities told Duarte that they could not do it.
The sheriff’s representative told the Times that the motive behind the theft was unclear. But they point out that depending on the buyer, each fish (if sold) could get $50 to $1,500. They added that only a “few” of koi were found from Smith’s residence. Duarte said only five koi were returned.
After stealing 400 ornamental carp from an office park outside Washington in 2013, the Washington Post noted that some collectors “will pay as much as $25,000 for the champion fish.” But a koi dealer told the Times that most people wouldn’t be anywhere near that price. If bred in China, their 10-inch specimens cost about 20 inches, for 2-foot-long koi.
Deputies said how the “currently unknown” suspects transported all 85 fish (some large) in small containers. “This is the first time in Yukapa,” they said.
Fish usually grow to 14 to 18 inches, but can reach 3 feet. A La Koi salesman told The Times that it is easy to transport them using buckets.
For Duarte, koi are worth far more than their monetary value—she and her husband have raised more than 20 years and regarded them as pets.
Duarte said some kids who visited the company “have the name of the fish.” “They are not only for us. …Our customers, our customers, like animals, too.”
She said there was a small public outcry online after Duarte posted a burglary on Facebook about Saturday’s theft. One commenter lamented the loss of fish and said, “When I go there to eat, I like to look at koi and birds.”
Theft brought the community attention, and some began to develop theories: “Maybe it’s a bear? I doubt it!” another commenter wrote.
Duarte and the authorities are working to address theft of outdoor property.
“It’s hard to prevent such crimes in which businesses own outdoor property and cannot obtain protection,” the sheriff’s department told The New York Times via email. “In this case, the owner has a surveillance camera, which is very helpful for the investigation.”
Duarte said she did not allow her to lock the doors that provide access to outdoor ranches and other animals due to certain fire regulations. However, after losing 85 koi, she vowed to find a way to protect the door. If not, “it could happen again.”
