American Pop Reports Money Missing From Register

A clerk at  reported that $200-$300 was taken from the Ferndale store's register Tuesday evening about 6:30 p.m, police said.

"It was no robbery," Ferndale Police Detective Lt. William Wilson said. "At the very most it was a larceny, a till tap." Wilson said the department is investigating the clerk's report to determine what happened. 

"(The clerk) told us that she noticed money was missing from the register. Her report was not really descript, but she said it must have been three men who were there 15 minutes prior," Wilson added.

Storeowner Wyll Lewis was not in the store at the time but described the theft as "a typical distraction job."

"One sat near the register, one in the middle of the store and one got (the clerk) to get up on a ladder and got her looking the other way," he said. "Then they hit the register."

Lewis said the clerk was upset and unsure about the description of the robbers. "We're not going to let this deter us," Lewis said. "But, realistically, it's the smaller businesses that will see this sort of crime. Larger businesses, like Rosie (O'Grady's) won't see crimes like this."

Wilson said police had no suspects and weren't searching for suspects because the descriptions were too vague.  "The type of alleged crime is very rare here," he said.

The robbery comes nearly three weeks after  and two weeks before Lewis has a "closing" party. On April 1, Lewis plans to have special guest Wolfman Mac, a local B-movie television star, 75 percent off everything in the store, free drinks for adults and free treats for kids.