The C Shop broken into because alleged suspect couldn’t wait for it to reopen, shop says

A suspected thief from Bellingham allegedly broke into The C Shop late last week taking a two-pound bag of sour patch kids, a handful of taffys and some truffles, the shop’s co-owner said.

Patrick Alesse said he woke up Friday morning to the cops in his shop, a broken door and taffy jar lids and taffy strewn across the shop floor. “He was probably in a real hurry,” Alesse  said.

The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office booked Samuel Matamua, 38, into Whatcom County Jail on July 31, on suspicion of second degree burglary, and jail records show he is being held in lieu of $10,000 bail.

“It seems that some fellow was in such desperate need of candy because we haven’t been open, that he broke down the door to get some taffy and sour patch kids,” The C Shop wrote in a July 31 Facebook post. “He missed out on all the good homemade stuff that was on the lower shelf of the display case!”

At approximately 7:30 a.m., deputies responded to a report of a burglary in progress at The C Shop, sheriff’s office spokesperson Deb Slater said in an email. A witness reported seeing a man kicking in the front door of the business, entering and leaving with what looked like a big bag of candy.

Another witness reported, at approximately 10:30 a.m., seeing a man who matched the earlier description of the man seen fleeing The C Shop in the 7800 block of Birch Bay Drive, Slater wrote.

Deputies found Matamua, who admitted to entering the store and taking candy, taffy, chocolate and a big lollipop. Some of the items were found in the suspect’s backpack, Slater reported.

Alesse said two envelopes with some cash in them sat visible on the counter in the shop but were untouched by the thief. He was grateful someone was driving by at the time of the robbery and called the police, he said.

“We would love to know who called in the break-in so we could say thanks to them with some candy,” The C Shop’s Facebook post reads.

Court records show Matamua had a preliminary hearing in Whatcom County Superior Court August 3, and has an arraignment hearing set for Friday, August 14 at 9 a.m.

The C Shop has been closed during the Covid-19 pandemic and said in a July 26 Facebook post it would not open until Whatcom County is well into phase 3 and the Canadian border reopens.