Surveillance footage captured an unusual burglary at Sparkman Cellars in Woodinville, Washington. A man wearing a cowboy hat and poncho, along with a mask, targeted the family-operated winery, destroying meticulously crafted white wine valued at $600,000.
The incident occurred on Thanksgiving eve, with the suspect casually entering the building using an employee keycode on the side door around 7:34 pm.
The video footage shows the peculiar intruder entering the winery and deliberately spilling gallons of hand-crafted white wine from tanks, causing extensive damage.
The suspect exited through a back door, carrying an umbrella, and disappeared into the woods. The wine spill continued for at least nine minutes, flooding the ground.
Watch the video here:
if you need me i’ll be fascinated by the break-in at sparkman cellars where someone dressed in a hat and mask emptied two tanks of white. the story behind this is going to be amazing pic.twitter.com/8wnT2dxePO
— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) December 5, 2023
Calculated attack
The King County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the suspect accessed the facility through an employee entrance using a code on November 22.
The man emptied two stainless steel wine tanks, each holding approximately 2500 gallons. Sergeant Eric White stated that the incident reflected the perpetrator’s intent to cause significant financial loss to the winery.
Family business hit
In a statement to FOX 13, the Sparkman family expressed the impact of the crime on their small family business. They mentioned that the timing of the burglary, right before the holidays, exacerbated the difficulty.
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Despite the unimaginable crime, the family remains committed to delivering high-quality wines to its customers. The Sparkmans appreciated the outpouring of support from the community of wineries, restaurants, retailers, and wine enthusiasts.
(With inputs from agencies)
