TRAVERSE CITY — Police arrested a man they said broke into a Traverse City thrift shop to slip into something a little more comfortable.
The Traverse City Police Department responded early Thursday to a reported break-in at the First Congregational Thrift Shop on East Eighth Street. Inside, an officer and police dog found the suspect, 21, of Bear Lake, trying on women's clothes.
"They entered and detained the suspect, who was trying on a black, women's pantsuit," city police Detective Sgt. Joe McCarthy said. "He was taken into custody without incident."
A witness told officers the suspect broke out a window to enter the building. Officers set up a perimeter when they arrived on the scene, and attempts were made to contact the man from outside. When those efforts failed, a K-9 unit entered the building.
McCarthy said the suspect has an extensive criminal history including felonies, primarily out of Manistee County. He was taken to Grand Traverse County Jail, but had not been charged as of Thursday afternoon.
Joanne Schultz, the thrift shop's chairman, and other staff members spent Thursday morning cleaning up broken glass.
"We have a broken front door and a broken window. That's all we've been able to uncover," Schultz said. "We know he wasn't in here very long."
It's not the first time thieves targeted the 47-year-old thrift shop. Schultz said someone broke into the store through the back door between two and three years ago, stole money and left behind a huge mess. They installed a steel door in the rear of the building, and now plan to do the same for the front entrance where the suspect tried to pry off the door knob.
Schultz doesn't understand why someone would target a thrift store, which resells donated clothes and items.
"It blows our minds. It's ridiculous," she said.
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Break-in suspect tried on women's clothes
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