Unknown persons spent early Thanksgiving Day in a botched attempt to rob the Davis Jubilee grocery in Roosevelt, police said.

Sometime between midnight and dawn on Thursday, an unidentified person or persons gained access to the store and smashed their way through the steel security door into the customer service booth. Upon entering the booth, they unsuccessfully attempted to break into the store’s safe, according to Roosevelt Police Detective Pete Butcher.

After attacking the safe with various tools and breaking off the handle and hinges, the would-be robbers failed to gain access to the interior of the safe. They then found a lifting jack in the storage area of the store and began moving the device forward in an attempt to remove the safe from the office, only to discover that the jack was too large to fit through the doors from the storage area to the front of the store. The safe, weighing over half a ton, proved heavier and larger than estimated and they failed to move it from its resting place.

In addition to the attempted robbery on the safe, the vandals smashed their way into the store's ATM machine and took a scant $80, all that remained in the machine after heavy pre-holiday withdrawals. The machine was completely destroyed.

Failing to steal any significant amounts of money from the store or the ATM, the thwarted robbers resorted to taking cartons of cigarettes and possibly some beer from the coolers.

Store manager Carl Foote discovered the break-in Thursday morning when he went to the store, which was closed for the holiday, to process paperwork. Upon finding the smashed door, damaged office and detecting the smell of hot metal shavings from the attempted burglary of the safe, he called 911 at about 9 a.m. Foote waited outside the store until police arrived and swept the building to assure its security.

Additional damage was done to the manager’s office where surveillance equipment and the store’s PA system were smashed and destroyed. Papers were strewn everywhere and the offices were left in a chaotic condition. Foote estimates the damages to the offices, security doors, safe and ATM to be in excess of $20,000.

After securing the crime scene, investigators dusted for prints and collected evidence that they hope will lead to an arrest. An RPD investigation is under way. Anyone having information about the incident should contact Detective Butcher at (435) 722-4558.

There is speculation that the robbery attempt may be connected with other recent break-ins and robberies in the Roosevelt area.

Either late Nov. 17 or early Nov. 18, at least four businesses on the west side of Roosevelt along U.S. Highway 40 were burglarized, according to RPD Sgt. Jeremy Chapman. Those businesses are: IFA Country Store, Basin Meats, Basin Wholesale and Wheeler Machinery.

Chapman asks that local citizens report any suspicious after-hour activity in commercial areas by calling 911. Anyone with information that may help the investigation can call Butcher at the previously mentioned phone number.

The Davis Jubilee store opened as scheduled on Friday and the customer service area was secured for daily business.