A roadside staple outside the Sea Hagg shop in Cortez was robbed of its “juice.”
An unknown person lifted the hood of the 1991 Mercury Capri bearing the store name and stole the car’s battery sometime Feb. 13-14, according to storeowner Jan Holman, who opened the antique-nautical shop 17 years ago.
The vehicle has announced the Sea Hagg, 12304 Cortez Road W., to passersby for about 10 years, she said.
“People stop to take pictures in front of it,” Holman added.
The store owner reported the missing battery to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Feb. 19 after another suspicious incident occurred at the store.
“At first I wasn’t going to report it, thinking it’s just an old car battery. Some druggie who wanders around here probably needed $10 or $15 bucks,” she said.
However, Holman became concerned after another incident of trespass, and she hoped MCSO would step up its patrols.
— Kathy Prucnell