WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg Grocery Store fell victim to a thief in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The thief made away with $226 and was in and out in less than a minute, grocery store owner Dan- ny Cole said.

The store does have an alarm system, but un- like the last two robbery attempts targeted at the locally-owned grocery store, the thief was not de- terred by the sudden loud siren sounding through the store.

Cole said he is thankful for his Stryke alarm sys- tem because it has proven such a deterrent in the past.

Cole also said he intends to buy higher defini- tion cameras for the store so better images of thieves will make easier work for the police in the future.

Cole also said he plans to change his point of sale system in an attempt to make less cash available and make stealing equip- ment more difficult.

The assailant will be caught, Cole said. People can't get away with rob- bery in this town, he added.

The robbery is still un- der investigation by the Walla Walla County Sher- iff's Office.