The Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center in Cambridge, Maryland, which was recently repaired after it was damaged by flooding, has now been burglarized. According to WBOC, the break-in took place over the weekend, about a month after the museum reopened.

How bad is the damage at the Harriet Tubman Museum after the break-in?

Following the break-in, museum staff told WBOC they are now forced to replace the back doors, which were connected to a mural inside the back room. As a result, part of the mural will also need to be replaced.

Linda Harris, director of events and programming for the museum, said it will cost between $10,000 and $20,000 to replace the doors and install new security devices, including lighting and cameras. Officials revealed that the museum recently installed new security cameras, but they were not turned on at the time of the break-in.

“We weren’t planning for this,” Harris told WBOC. “We just raised money to redo our museum. Now we’ve got to raise more money. So, I’m very sad. This place has been here since 1992. It’s an institution. It conveys the story of a person born here in Cambridge. And for someone to vandalize it, it’s pretty sad.”

Are there any suspects in the Harriet Tubman Museum break-in?

Although police haven’t named any suspects at this time, Cambridge Police Capt. Antoine Patton said the perpetrator appears to be someone who knows the building very well.

“They knew exactly where the money was,” Patton told WBOC. “We believe this was an opportunist who had been inside the museum before. It appeared that they broke into the rear door and walked right in and walked directly to the money and took the money container and walked out. Nothing else inside the museum was disturbed.”

Patton said investigators are facing challenges because the museum’s cameras were not operating.

“It makes it hard when there are no security cameras there because you don’t have anything to go by,” Patton said. “So we’ll have to go by surrounding areas to see if there were any cameras, if anybody was walking around looking suspicious or anything of that nature.”

The museum is asking the public to send donations to help with repairs. Supporters can visit the museum’s website to donate.

“We will be closed until further notice as we assess the damage and work to repair it. We would greatly appreciate any donations to make up for what was lost and remedy the effects of this disheartening crime,” the museum wrote on its website.