Rock Encore -- 'River Rock Burglar' Smashes 'n' Grabs at Two More Chinatown-Area Stores

Rocking Chinatown's world...

Last week we reported on the unwelcome resurgence of Chinatown's "River Rock Burglar," a miscreant not unlike the A's Hat Bandit or Bad Wig Bandit who has become known through the repetitive nature of his methodology. But that's okay -- it's what works for him. And it works for the police -- who've already caught him twice.

A suspect found guilty of two previous stints of tossing river rocks through windows in the North Beach/Chinatown area -- who has served two prison terms -- was paroled on July 3. Since then seven neighborhood stores have been burglarized, with the signature smooth, cobblestone-like river rocks left behind almost like a calling card. Two of those incidents occurred in the last week. 

Captain James Dudley of the police department's central station said the cops checking all the places where the suspect was busted in the past -- though he kept those locales on the down-low just in case the River Rock Burglar is an SF Weekly reader.

The suspect is a 48-year-old white man, standing 6-feet-tall and weighing around 190 pounds. If the person behind the current spate is the same miscreant who has already been twice busted for hurling rocks through windows and making off with swag, then he has knocked over at least 20 area businesses.