A bad economy was cited as one reason the City of Landrum has seen more break-ins recently with the latest case being a break-in at the Blockbuster movie store.

Landrum City Council met Tuesday and heard from police chief Bruce Shelnut who reported on the Blockbuster robbery recently as well as a home break-in on West Rutherford Street recently.

Council members noted that it seemed more break-ins had occurred this year than normal in Spartanburg County and Shelnut responded, &dquo;some of it&squo;s meanness and some of it&squo;s people surviving.&dquo;

Blockbuster was broken into around 11:13 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 with three suspects, Shelnut reported. Shelnut says the suspects smashed the front door with a rock to gain entry and stole approximately $2,000 worth of equipment such as gaming equipment. The alarm was not engaged during the break-in and the suspects shielded their faces around cameras, so no description was available.

Another recent break-in occurred at a residence on West Rutherford Street around 10 p.m. on Oct. 10. No one was at home at the time and cash was reported stolen from the residence.

Anyone with information regarding these break-ins is urged to call the Landrum Police Department at 457-7281.