By Jessie Burchette
Salisbury Post
CHINA GROVE ó Robbers wearing ski masks and carrying a black gym bag cleaned out the safe at Porky’s Bar-B-Que restaurant early Monday.
The two men entered the restaurant located at 1309 North Main St. around 1:10 a.m., opened a locked safe and carried off the gym bag full of cash.
“They were prepared, they apparently knew where to go and what was there,” Police Chief Hodge Coffield said Monday afternoon. He noted that Porky’s was very busy over the weekend with the huge turnout for Farmers Day.
Porky’s closed around 9 p.m. Sunday.
James David Johnson, an employee of restaurant owner, Mike Reid, was in the building cleaning.
According to police, Johnson had left the back door open.
Coffield said the masked men entered and told Johnson to “stay calm and nobody will get hurt.”
One of the men watched Johnson while the other went to the office and opened the safe, which has a combination lock.
Once the safe was cleaned out, they taped Johnson to a kitchen sink.
He was able to get free within minutes and call 911.
The men were in and out of the restaurant in less than 10 minutes.
Neither of the men displayed a gun or other weapon.
Coffield said they have a possible suspect.
And police are work to determine if the video surveillance system has a usable picture.
Coffield asked anyone with information to contact police at 704-857-7755.
Both men are described as being white and in their mid-20s. One, who was dressed in camouflage clothing, was described as around 5 feet 7 inches tall weighing approximately 200 pounds.
The second man, who was dressed completely in black, is described as 6 feet 2 inches tall weighing 160 to 170 pounds.