9Fest tickets worth about $5,250 were stolen during a break-in at D.P. Dough early Wednesday morning.
About 200 gift certificates and 175 9Fest tickets were stolen along with a safe, said Mark Crumpton, D.P. Dough’s owner.
Crumpton said there also had been a break-in mid-February and another one two weeks ago.
“We are actively working with the Athens Police Department to solve this, and we are very hopeful that an arrest will be made very soon,” he said.
A continuing investigation leaves the family-owned business and local police certain the same person is committing each break-in, possibly with an accomplice, Crumpton said.
The family will begin improving the protection of their establishment.
“Beyond just working with the police department, we have also put in a state-of-the-art security system so we won’t have this issue again,” he said. “We also have a safe that is almost impossible for anyone to break into.”
D.P. Dough announced the news via Facebook Friday evening. The announcement included the serial numbers of the stolen 9Fest tickets — numbers 315025 through 315200 — and assured customers that the company will continue to have legitimate tickets in stock.
“The main message that we want to get across is the serial numbers of the fraudulent tickets; otherwise, we are just in waiting mode right now,” said Matt Crumpton, another D.P. Dough owner.
Dominic Petrozzi, one of 9Fest’s organizers, is encouraging festgoers to double-check that their tickets are not the stolen ones.
“We just feel it is best to be proactive and announce to as many students as we can to make sure they double-check where their tickets are coming from,” he said. “We don’t want people buying stolen tickets because it involves the possibility of students getting screwed out of their money.”
Anyone who tries to enter the fest with a stolen ticket must pay $60 at the door for another, Petrozzi said.
Despite the recent break-ins, Petrozzi said 9Fest will continue collaborating with local venders including Yannis, Atheneon Carry Out & Deli, Courtside Pizza, D.P. Dough, Mike’s Dog Shack, Yizzo, CreMedia, Campus Shift and Prime Social Group.
D.P. Dough is working alongside the police department to search for the thief and has organized a meeting with the county prosecutor.
“We are hopeful that the meeting will go well even though this is not a nonviolent crime,” Mark said. “This is very serious and should be taken seriously. If anyone that has knowledge of an individual trying to sell these tickets, they should call the Athens Police Department and ask for Detective Bob Filar.”
Filar could not be reached for comment.
lf328610@ohiou.edu
