An Irish pub that has been a mainstay in Cary for a decade has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

But the owner says the business will remain open.

Connolly's Irish Pub owner David Molee said the economic downturn hurt the business, crunching the company's cash flow.

The best option, he said, was to file for Chapter 11, or restructuring bankruptcy. The restaurant at 1979 High House Road has cut costs in recent months and made attempts to draw customers by holding special events and opening for Sunday brunch.

Molee said he's hopeful the economy and his business are already turning around.

So far this year, monthly sales are up 30 percent over what they were during the last six months of 2009.

"Now I can concentrate on getting the business healthy and moving forward," he said.

Man charged with exploitation

DURHAM Durham police charged Morrisville resident Michael Robert Kelly, 40, with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and five counts of third-degree exploitation of a minor.

He was being held in the Durham County jail.

Man sought in bank robberies

CARY Authorities think the same man may be responsible for four Wake County robberies in the past four months.

They are offering a $15,000 reward for his capture.

One of the robberies occurred Nov. 25 at the SunTrust Bank at 910 Kildaire Farm Road in Cary.

The others were in North Raleigh.

In each of the robberies, the suspect was described as a masked man with a slender to medium build who stands less than 6 feet tall.

He has misshaped teeth and was armed with a handgun.

In the most recent case, a teller was injured, according to Raleigh police.

Police ask anyone with information about the robberies to call 919-996-3555.

Man linked to Cary break-ins

CARY A Durham man arrested in Cary for breaking into a Planet Smoothie last summer has been linked to more than 30 break-ins in Wake County, police said.

Darryl Lee Brown, 44, was already being held in the Wake County jail on two counts of felony breaking and entering. Charges from other jurisdictions in Wake are pending.

Brown was arrested July 3 and accused of breaking into the Planet Smoothie at 90 Cornerstone Drive in Cary.

While he was in jail, police linked him to 30 cases, including a break-in at Cary's Spirits Pub & Grill, at 701 E. Chatham St.

All of the cases took place from December 2008 to July 2009.

By staff writers Sue Stock and Sadia Latifi.