NOV. 9 I CASSELL’S MUSIC I SECURITY
The MI Retailer’s
Best Friend

Three dogs recently helped capture a burglary suspect at Cassell’s Music in San Fernando, Calif.

On Oct. 21, the store manager, Chris Grocott, who lives next door to the dealership, heard the building’s alarm go off at roughly 4 a.m. He took his three dogs to investigate and said he found the plate glass front door broken and a man walking by with two guitars and a pocketful of cash. When Grocott yelled for the man to stop, the man put the instruments in the bed of a truck and ran away.

Grocott said he returned to the store to find another man dressed as a skeleton and dragging a sleeping bag holding seven guitars. After the dogs cornered him, the man struck one of the dogs, a pit bull named Duchess, in the head with bolt cutters. According to Grocott, Duchess “immediately reacted as a pit bull would and brought the suspect down.” Grocott then sat on the man to detain him with the help of a neighbor until the police arrived moments later. At press time, police were still looking for the first suspect.

“It’s nice to know that the local neighbors care enough and take pride in where they live to get involved in a crime with disregard for their own safety,” said Ed Intagliata, owner of Cassell’s Music. “I wanted to reward Chris for his efforts far above the call of duty by offering to send him on an all-expense-paid trip to Las Vegas, and all he said to me was, ‘You don’t have to do that. You gave me a job 10 years ago when no one else would. That’s all the reward I need.’

“That’s a very rare employee who takes ownership and pride in his job and doesn’t expect to be compensated above and beyond.”

Intagliata added that all Grocott asked for were some extra-large dog bones for his three pets.