WYOMING, Mich. — Early one morning in late January, six people broke into D. Schuler’s Fine Wine and Spirits in Wyoming, and the store's surveillance camera captured the incident.
Manager Allan Vander Laan said the group smashed the door’s window and climbed inside, and, within two minutes, took tequila, cognac, vapes and all the money in the cash register.
WATCH SURVEILLANCE VIDEO OF BREAK-IN:
This week, he learned that they were arrested.
“It’s nice to have a little bit of peace knowing that they, you know, caught the individuals that were involved in the incident here,” Vander Laan said in an interview with FOX 17 on Friday afternoon.
Vander Laan also learned that the six were part of a much larger group.
Wyoming police told FOX 17 in an interview on Thursday that the Metro Patterns Crime Task Force arrested 12 people in connection to 22 break-ins that happened throughout the county over the last several weeks.
“I think right now there’s a total of 13 [arrests],” said Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker. “We’ve got 12 coming through the office right now. I think there’s a couple still out there they’re working on, but, I’m aware of 13 being arrested, and we’ve approved 12 to my knowledge.”
Police added that the break-ins occurred throughout the county, including Solon Township, Cedar Springs, Walker, Plainfield Charter Township, Grand Rapids and Gaines Township. And, the group took similar items in some of the locations.
“The biggest thing is when you’re looking for a pattern is ‘OK, how can you tie these all together’ and, I mean, what are the similarities whether it be how it was done or maybe vehicles that were used or just maybe the way it was done,” Becker said. “So, just like the name says there’s some sort of pattern of what’s going on here.”
Becker said he doesn’t know if the group is a gang; however, the suspects now face a number of charges, including concealing stolen property, breaking and entering and car thefts.
He said detectives are also looking into a bigger charge of "continuing criminal enterprise," however, that may come later.
“It’s just really unfortunate overall,” Vander Laan said. “Twelve individuals, possibly more, that are involved in that sort of lifestyle and they’re all young. So, the consequences for their futures are big. It’s just sad.”
