By Kim Hilsenbeck

A weekend robbery of a Kyle liquor store left FriDaze Liquor owner Thomas Atnipp out more than $1,000 worth of liquor and e-cigarette cartridges along with $200 in cash.

And he is mad.

In the four years he’s been in business, Atnipp said, “I’ve never had anything happen like this, but these little hoodlums are out of control.”

He referred to “thugs and gang members” who he said are committing burglaries in Hometown Kyle, Plum Creek and other areas of town.

Atnipp said he left the business at 9:15 p.m. Dec. 6. The next morning, he got a call from the store owner next door in the retail area on the edge of Plum Creek.

“She said, ‘Thomas, there’s something wrong, you need to come up here,’” Atnipp recalled.

Upon arrival, he found the front door of his business completely smashed. For about six months, he’s been without a functioning alarm system.

Leaving the crime scene intact, Atnipp went to the back door and entered the shop to check on his inventory.

Atnipp estimated a loss of about $1,800 on the police report, KPD Chief Jeff Barnett said. But without knowing exactly how much was stolen at the time, Atnipp said it was difficult to put an accurate amount on the items.

By Monday afternoon, Atnipp and his employee put together a list of the missing inventory, estimated closer to $10,000.

Atnipp said the crime was committed by someone, or several people, who did not appear to be worried about being seen.

“They threw a big piece of limestone through the front window. They didn’t break into a back door where you can’t see, they broke into the front door where you can clearly see it from the road,” he said.

He said he’s working with police to pull surveillance video.

Atnipp believes that at least two people participated in the heist. He is cooperating with Kyle Police Department (KPD) and is offering a reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the burglary.

Though he would not confirm the amount, he said, “The reward is substantial.”

Atnipp said there have been burglaries of homes and vehicles in his and other Kyle neighborhoods recently.

“This is getting ridiculous,” he said.

Barnett said his department gets calls about several burglaries a month around town.

Truth be told, Atnipp said he would prefer to get the names of the thieves directly, not exactly for vigilante justice, but so he can go have a discussion with their parents.

He’s also concerned about a perceived increase in blatant crimes.

Atnipp cited a story told to him by friends in law enforcement about a recent incident where would-be burglars broke into the home of a Hays County Sheriff’s deputy while she was sleeping.

“They broke into her home while she was there, stole something and defecated in the living room,” he said. “It’s a gang initiation.”

Hays County Sheriff’s Office said they have no such incident on record, but did confirm another recent case of a deputy’s car being stolen from his garage while the officer was at home.

As for his theories on what happened at his business, “It’s a bunch of punk kids,” he said. “Because what they stole [from FriDaze] is what they hear in the rap videos… Ciroc, Patron, Hennessey.”

He said he is missing a few bottles of special edition Hennessey worth $300 each.

“They stole all the things that all the thuggy ruggy pants around their ankles talk about…it’s a bunch of basically delinquents,” Atnipp said.

He firmly blames the parents for raising children who don’t have respect for the law.

“My daughters would never be taught to not have enough respect for other people’s property,” he said. “You don’t rob, you don’t cheat, you don’t steal. You life your life by a certain code.”

His offer of a reward is meant to shine a spotlight on the issue and to encourage other community members to speak up when they know somebody committed a crime. He also wants the criminals to know that he, and others like him, are taking a stand, even if that means arming more retail shop owners.

“I want this brought to the [reader’s] attention that we as a community are fed up,” he said. “These kids will no longer be given reprieve. We will shoot them on site [if they are caught committing burglaries].”

Atnipp said at FriDaze, he has a sign that says, ‘We do not call 911’ with a picture of a big Magnum 357.

He called 911 after the fact to report the crime.

Barnett said police were dispatched at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. 

Atnipp said he firmly believes the crime was not committed by his employee, who has been a close friend for a decade. However, he believes he may have a lead for police.