PORTAGE, Mich. — Medawar Jewelers on Westnedge Avenue is typically open on Mondays. However, after Portage police said they were burglarized the day before, the owner decided to close its doors until Wednesday.
“Always hard to deal with situations like this,” said owner Pierre Medawar. “It could be worse.”
Police said the thieves tore giant holes in Medawar's two neighboring businesses in order to access the safe. They don't have an exact number about how much was taken but they said the jewelry was worth thousands of dollars.
“How they got into their safe or vault or whatever they have, that’s just amazing,” said John Mills who’s wife owns Paws-N-Claws next door. “To get from building to building to building, it was a lot of work but they were ready. You can tell they went in and they meant it.”
Mills said it was the man who cleans their saltwater fish tank who called police on Sunday around 1:40 p.m. When the officer arrived she not only saw the damage to Paws-N-Claws but also the nail salon, which sits between that the pet grooming store and Medawar Jewelers.
“I talked to the guys next door [and] they all seem to be doing okay,” said Medawar. “We’re all dealing with it. I feel bad that they had to go through this.”
Employees from all three businesses spent much of the last two days assessing and cleaning up the damage. Police are hoping that someone with information will step forward considering the crime happened during the day.
“Someone saw something,” said Deputy Chief John Blue with Portage Police Department. “Someone had to have seen some movement, some activity, something that was out of the ordinary.”
***If you have any information, call police at (269) 329-4567***
