Dunphy's Ice Cream Sees Outpouring Of Support After Break-In

By Justin Muszynski, The Bristol Press

May 10, 2022

If anything good came of an unfortunate break-in that caused a local ice cream shop to lose two full days of business, it was the outpouring of support from the community that soon followed.

Kevin Fuller, who, along with his wife Gail, owns Dunphy’s Ice Cream Store, said he has gotten nothing but people offering to help in any way that they could since the business was burglarized on Thursday, around 2:04 a.m. The suspect smashed the door and ransacked the place in search for money that is never kept in the business overnight.

“The outpouring of support from the community has been phenomenal,” Fuller said.

A post on Dunphy’s Facebook page about the break-in had garnered 593 reactions, 346 comments and 115 shares as of Friday afternoon. The overwhelming majority of comments were those sending sympathies or asking if they could help in any way. Another post about the break-in on the “Bristol Talks” Facebook group drew an additional 286 reactions and 105 comments.

Most people, the owner said, have asked “Can we help? Can we clean?”

“A guy walked in (Thursday) and gave me $500 to help pay for the damages,” Fuller said, adding that, while the act was appreciated, the ice cream store owner asked that the man take the money back.

“He refused to leave with it,” Fuller continued.

Another person, Fuller said, reached out to him and asked who she could make a check out to for some financial support. He declined the gracious offer, telling her that he has insurance to cover the damages.

The suspect, who could be seen on video surveillance before the burglary, was dressed in all black and wore a ski mask. He smashed the glass door to get into the business.

“He damaged the door so bad we couldn’t even get in,” Fuller said, adding that the door and the frame would need to be replaced.

Once inside, the ice cream owner said, he believes the suspect became frustrated that there was no cash in the register. The loose change in the register was sprawled across the floor, and the burglar ripped through all the cabinets and drawers in the business in an apparent attempt to find money that was possibly hidden somewhere inside. Fortunately, Fuller said, the only money ever left in the business overnight is some loose change. The only thing reported missing was a $10 scratch ticket and, oddly enough, the owner said, a label maker.

A few doors down at a Chinese restaurant, according to Fuller, the same suspect broke in around the same time and stole a heating device that had copper in it.

The most unfortunate part of the burglary was the timing and that it forced the business to close down temporarily, Fuller said. This week both he and his wife celebrate their respective birthdays.

“We’re locals, we pay taxes,” Fuller said, explaining that Dunphy’s and another ice cream shop in town are the only locally-owned ice cream stores in Bristol.

“You take a hit when something like this happens,” he continued. “We’re locals trying to make a buck. We do so much for the community.”

Dunphy’s is set to reopen on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

“I expect that we’ll probably be busy,” Fuller said.

Justin Muszynski can be reached at 860-973-1809 or jmuszynski@bristolpress.com.