By ART BUKOWSKI
TRAVERSE CITY — Police hope for tips to help solve a string of burglaries at several businesses in Interlochen and Grawn.
Someone broke into Bud's, Hair PhD, Owen's Interlochen Party Store and Rich's Family Diner in Interlochen around midnight Saturday. Pantry Shelf and Perfect Tattoos in Grawn also were burglarized at about the same time.
Police believe the same suspect, captured in video surveillance at Pantry Shelf, was involved in all of the incidents.
Bud's, an ice cream and coffee shop, was the first business hit at about 11:45 p.m. Saturday. The suspect first tried get in a back entrance, then used something to pry open the front door, employee Bob Schmidt said.
That triggered an alarm and the suspect took off without entering.
"It looks like they opened the door, the alarm went off and they ran," Schmidt said.
Grand Traverse sheriff's deputies went to Bud's and discovered the nearby Hair PhD also had been entered. While dealing with those burglaries, they received word of another alarm at The Pantry Shelf in Grawn, where neighboring Perfect Tattoos also was hit.
The suspect made off with a small amount of cash and left a mess at Rich's Family Diner, owner Richard Michalski said. Michalski found a broken window, change scattered across the floor and a damaged cash register on the ground when he went to inspect the damage Sunday morning.
Michalski believes the suspect broke in through the window and made an unsuccessful attempt to make off with the register. He's not happy about the damage, but he's amused at the thought of the suspect struggling with the heavy device.
"To me, I just think it's kind of funny," he said. "I know they tried to take the whole cash register ... and they dropped it."
Sheriff's Capt. Tom Emerson said a detective is working on the burglaries. Footprints and video surveillance footage gathered from Pantry Shelf could help generate tips, he said.
"It's a big help," Emerson said. "Some of it is really good quality."
The suspect is described as a man in his late teens or early twenties with a thin build. He was wearing a dark coat over a gray hooded sweatshirt.
Business owners hope an arrest is made soon.
"I think they're going to do it, they've got pretty good leads," Michalski said. " I think (there's) going to be something quick."
Anyone with information can contact the sheriff's department Detective Bureau at 995-5152 or Silent Observer at 947-TIPS.
