Former employee robs bakery; owners forced to shut down

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (WSVN) -- Coral Gables police have released surveillance video of a suspect who robbed his employer. The suspect took much more than money which caused the business to shut down, authorities said.

Police said, Hermes Leikva was an employee at the bakery who thought he knew the layout of the place and went with intentions of blacking out the cameras, but another camera caught him in the act. Coral Gables Police Sergeant Janette Frevola said, "It's a crime. Unfortunately, it's a brazen crime of opportunity, and this gentleman took advantage of his employers, and basically stole their life savings."

Perezsosa Bakery was a landmark in the community, which people frequent, and now, everything is missing-- from the gas range to the cash register and the counters.

Surveillance footage showed the suspect spray painting the surveillance cameras until the image went to black. But the other camera captured him getting in and out of a moving truck the next day, taking away equipment essential to the business.

Police said they are hoping the property will be returned to the owners. "The message is to try and figure out where the property is. Anybody that knows the whereabouts, not just the suspect himself. Just return the property back to these victims. They are in real need of it," Frevola said.

The sign in front of the now empty building left a message for the community. The message read, "The thieves have left us without the means to make any of our bread or pastries."

If you have any information on where the stolen equipment may be, call Coral Gables Police at (305) 442-1600.

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