GREENVILLE, Mich — Two bridal shops in West Michigan were broken into in the same week, with the owners believing the incidents may be related, though police are not yet convinced.
Elizabeth Ver-Johnson, owner of Belding Beauties and Bros in Belding, said her free bridal shop was broken into on the night of July 1 into the morning of July 2.
"Feeling very intruded and my safe place was now gone, and walking in and seeing everything tossed and everything it was heartbreaking not just for myself but for the community," Ver-Johnson said.
The perpetrators entered through the back door, ripping items off the walls, dumping candy and water throughout the store.
Belding Police Chief Dion Sower said they believe the intruders entered through unlocked doors, and that the incident was likely the work of youth.
"We did come across some video evidence from earlier in the day, on Tuesday, there were three juvenile males that had approached the mall, checked the door and had walked away. We haven't been able to identify them yet," Sower said.
However, Sower does not believe the Belding break-in is related to another incident that occurred in nearby Greenville on July 4 at Bella Sposa Bridal and Prom.
"I think it's just coincidence. It's a very strange coincidence," Sower said.
But Bella Sposa owner Dwin Michelle Dykema disagrees, saying she has "numerous reasons" to believe the cases are connected, citing the "timing" and "situation."
Dykema's store suffered more extensive damage, with a window and door broken, and many dresses stolen only to be found dumped in the woods.
"What do you get out of destroying somebody else's property? Because it doesn't seem that they really wanted the product because they took the dresses and dumped them in the woods," Dykema said.
Greenville Police Deputy Director Daren Jones also believes the incident may have been the work of multiple people, though he is hesitant to say the cases are definitively related.
"I don't feel like they're probably related, just for some other reasons that we know, but we'll take it wherever the evidence leads us," Jones said.
Both Ver-Johnson and Dykema believe the break-ins are connected, with Ver-Johnson saying "it not being connected seems really odd."
Police in Greenville and Belding are continuing to investigate the incidents and are encouraging anyone with information to come forward.
If you want to donate, this is Bella Sposa Bridal and Prom's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-after-vandalism-and-flood?attribution_id=sl:75310a70-022c-4019-b1fb-3548bf0d982b&lang=en_US&utm_campaign=man_ss_icons&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link
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