PD: Two stole from storm-damaged Portage business

PORTAGE, Mich. (WOOD) — Portage police are ramping up patrols in areas impacted by recent tornadoes after they say two people stole from a business that had been damaged.

Around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, officers with the Portage Department of Public Safety were called to a strip of businesses that had been damaged when an EF2 tornado ripped through the area the day before. They were responding to a report of people stealing from Tree House Vape Shop, police confirmed.

When officers arrived to W Centre Avenue at Oakland Drive, they contacted two people who admitted they had been in the building and had items that had been stolen from the vape shop.

One of the suspects, an 18-year-old Galesburg man, was arrested and taken to the Kalamazoo County Jail. The Kalamazoo County Prosecutor’s Office authorized a charge against him for breaking and entering a building with intent to commit larceny. The other suspect, a girl from Kalamazoo, was returned to her parents. Charges are pending.

The Portage Department of Public Safety said it will add more patrols in areas that were damaged by recent storms.

Anyone with information should call Portage Public Safety at 269. 329.4567 or Silent Observer at 269.343.2100.

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