[July 15, 2011] Burglars take aim at lending firms Tweet LIMA, Jul 15, 2011 (The Lima News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Two short-term loan companies reported overnight break-in attempts Thursday, and a third business found evidence pointing to another. Officers from the Lima Police Department were investigating attempted burglaries at Cashland, 1269 Bellefontaine Ave., and at Advance America Cash Advance, 1100 N. Cable Road. They also were investigating vandalism at Spring-leaf Financial Services, 1092 N. Cable Road. "That's what we're looking at, that they could possibly be related," Lima police Lt. Jim Baker said. Police said someone cut the phone, Internet and alarm cables outside the building at Cashland, then threw a chunk of concrete through a window to get into the lobby area. The intruder or intruders then broke the handle on a locked door leading to a secure employees area but didn't get the door open, so they tossed another chunk of concrete through a teller window. The break-in occurred sometime between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 a.m., when the store manager discovered the damage. Nothing appeared to be missing, the manager told police, and files did not appear to be tampered with. Baker said the motive was "to take something of value, but at this point it doesn't appear they were successful." At Advance America, someone tried to kick in a front entrance to the lobby, leaving the bottom door panel damaged. A double-pane glass window was broken, apparently with a rock. Automatic alarms never tripped at either of the break-ins. Police were reviewing surveillance video to see if images of an intruder were recorded, Baker said. Police were investigating a third incident that might be related. The manager at Springleaf Financial Services, which recently changed its name from American General Finance, reported someone tampered with the phone lines at the 1092 N. Cable Road business. Police said someone vandalized a telephone cable enclosure behind the building overnight Wednesday. The service box cover had been removed and wires were dangling out of the box. And the phones weren't working. There was no evidence of a break-in attempt at Springleaf, police said, although the telephone line tampering bears resemblance to the burglary attempt at Cashland. You can comment on this story at www.limaohio.com. To see more of The Lima News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.limanews.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Lima News, Ohio Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]