Strongsville Police Look for Answers in Brew Garden Robbery

STRONGSVILLE, OH — Strongsville police are looking for the two gunmen responsible for robbing The Brew Garden on Howe Road in Strongsville on July 17th. The thieves got away with a significant amount of cash said kitchen manager, Ivanne Meredith.

"They said 'where are you going, lay down on the floor. I laid down. I said, don't hurt me, I have three kids at home and just take what you want,” Meredith told Fox 8 Cleveland.

Meredith said that both men were wearing masks and were carrying an AK47 and a pistol, they ordered her to open the safe and then took the money. The suspects then tied her and a coworker up with zip-ties before they fled the restaurant. Meredith added that the suspects were calm and prepared.

"They were calm, it wasn't like they were rushed, they were calm, they were meticulous about it, they had tools, they had a bag, like they knew what they wanted and what they were there for," she told Fox 8.

According to Fox 8 Cleveland, the police reports indicate that the suspects were familiar with the layout of the restaurant.

Meredith left her job at The Brew Garden citing safety reasons. She says that her former employer is withholding her final paycheck and is insinuating that she was involved in the robbery or may have known the suspects. Meredith says that is ridiculous, claiming she would never put herself in that kind of danger intentionally because she has a family.

The Brew Garden released the following statement regarding the incident:

"On Sunday July 17 at 8:00 am the Brew Garden was robbed at gun point. The authorities have directed us not to comment on the statements and actions of all the persons involved. However, we can comment on a few internal aspects of the organization.

In regards to the security of the four month old building. The alarm system was successfully disarmed by Ivanne Meredith. The access door was unlocked, relocked, and unlocked successfully without any problems by Ivanne Meredith. The final stage for the installation of the surveillance system is scheduled for August.

In regards to the paycheck for Ivanne Meredith. She notified us on July 20 at 3:00 pm that she was quitting and taking another job with the Bomber’s Squadron. Paychecks arrived at 4:00 pm the same day. Due to corporate policy, final paychecks cannot be issued to positional managers until a procedural checklist/inventory is completed and signed off by the exiting party and the acting general manager. This includes items similar to manuals, recipe binders, handbooks, supply responsibilities, and most importantly security measurements. Portions of this procedural check out have not met the necessary requirements.

More importantly, Ivanne Meredith had illegally accessed the corporate safe. She is on record as stating “ two different managers gave her the combination”. However, the two managers have vehemently denied any such action or permission.

The next payroll date is August 3, 2016. If Ivanne Meredith complies with the standard requirements of the basic check list she will be given her paycheck.

Sadly, what has been overlooked, is how this has affected the other victim and the staff. Obviously, there is quite a bit of finger pointing and conspiracy theories. Perhaps, if only “ALL” the witnesses had taken a lie detector test, everyone would have been put at ease."

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