Sterling police seek suspect in cash theft at Wonderful House restaurant

Sterling police are asking for help identifying a male suspect caught on surveillance stealing cash from a drawer and a purse at Wonderful House, the Chinese restaurant at 100 Broadway, Suite 2, in the Broadway Shopping Center next to JCPenney.

The theft happened May 6 inside a business many Logan County residents know well. Wonderful House serves Mandarin, Hunan, Szechuan and Cantonese dishes, and it lists dine-in, carry-out, delivery, catering and party trays. The restaurant is open seven days a week, with hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Police released an enhanced AI vehicle image tied to the case and asked anyone with information to contact dispatch. The release gives investigators another lead as they work to identify the man seen in the surveillance footage and trace his movements around the restaurant.

The case hits a familiar nerve in Sterling and across Logan County, where theft complaints at local businesses have long been part of the police beat. Sterling police investigated cash stolen from a 7-Eleven in a 2015 report, and earlier local coverage has documented other theft cases at area stores, including arrests tied to retail theft at Wal-Mart.

For a recognizable small business in central Sterling, the loss is more than a missing till count. Wonderful House sits in one of the city’s busiest commercial corridors, where front-line workers handle dine-in traffic, carry-out orders and delivery requests throughout the week. A theft like this can slow service, add stress for employees and leave owners paying to replace what was taken while trying to keep the doors open and the registers secure.

The restaurant is also listed by Sterling tourism information as wheelchair accessible and offering free Wi-Fi, details that make it a regular stop for families, travelers and local diners. Police are hoping someone who saw the suspect, the vehicle or the area around 100 Broadway on May 6 will come forward and help close the case.