It has been a tough year for Van Hale.
The well-known owner of Marx Bros. Café and Van’s Dive Bar lost his mother in May. On his way home from her memorial service, his home caught fire. He moved to a new house with his wife, where her car was broken into twice. His car was stolen twice. Finally, the weekend of Oct. 16, his downtown Anchorage garage was burglarized.
“I couldn’t believe it after everything else happened,” Hale said outside the garage Monday.
The door, which the thieves kicked in, was being replaced. Hale said they stole at least $50,000 worth of property, mostly consisting of coins and large “magnum” bottles of wine. The burglary happened while he was visiting Seattle for a Seahawks game.
“I called the police right away and they came, took finger prints and things like that,” he said. “But I was completely blown away. I’m still blown away.”
He did not have a security system at the time. He is hoping that alongside police, he will be able to track down the perpetrators.
“I think it’s an inside job somewhere,” he said.
The Anchorage Police Department did not reply to KTVA’s request for an update on the investigation.
KTVA 11’s Eric Ruble can be reached via email or on Facebook and Twitter.
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