‘Bonnie and Clyde' thieves stole workers' tips

Friday, Jan. 2, 2009

"They did it a couple of times, at least four to five times," said Ken Lim, manager of Golden Chicken Japanese Grill, located in the Giant shopping center in Lusby. Lim said he normally watches the front and back doors for patrons who may skip out on the check instead of focusing on the tip jars on the counter. Maybe they did it to pay holiday bills, Lim said, adding that a police report was not filed for the stealing of the tips.

A couple also hit the Starbucks Coffee Company in Lusby on Dec. 26 and stole a "good amount of money," said Carl Burkowske, whose son worked the shift when the tip jar was stolen. Maybe they did it for a rush or to pay Christmas bills, but for whatever reason, it is still robbery, Burkowske said.

"It was something that irked me," he said. Burkowske labeled them "Bonnie and Clyde" because, he said, a male and a female worked as a pair and he saw the classic movie on TV recently.

Tim Kamperin, whose daughter worked the shift when the tip jar was stolen, said, "It shocked them."

They couldn't believe it happened, he said.

But when a customer heard about the stealing of the tips, she gave them $40, Kamperin said. One of the nice things about living in Calvert County is that "people keep an eye out for each other," he said.

It was upsetting, especially that they took the tips around Christmas, said Jessica, a barista at Starbucks. The manager, Steve Sweet, asked the employees not to talk to the press about the robbery, she said. A police report was filed on the robbery, and a surveillance camera was working during the robbery. A Maryland State Police trooper handled the complaint around 9 p.m. on Dec. 26 and wrote the report about the theft from the Starbucks tip jar, said Jeanine Howard, office assistant for the Calvert County Sheriff's Office. It has not yet been determined if the same couple stole the tip jars at both businesses.

However, in all incidents, a young couple entered the establishments and the tips were noticed missing afterwards.

A few years ago the tip jar was stolen from Dunkin' Donuts in Lusby, Burkowske said.

"We moved here to get away from crime," he said.

Burkowske suggests that employees should empty tip jars every hour and keep the money out of sight.

And, he said, he hopes that police will take the crime seriously and investigate.

charvat@somdnews.com