The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a breaking and entering and arson in Monroe Township.
On Sunday, May 10, at 1:04 a.m., Monroe County Central Dispatch received reports that a vehicle had crashed into Pure Cannabis Outlet at 15311 S Dixie Hwy. The caller reported a vehicle appeared to have intentionally rammed into the store.
Witnesses reported seeing at least two unknown suspects flee from the store, running southbound and eventually entering an unknown dark colored vehicle that was believed to be waiting for them. Shortly after the initial call, Central Dispatch received fire alarms from the location.
Upon arrival, deputies found a maroon Jeep Cherokee partially inside the store through the front wall and the fire sprinklers extinguishing a fire. K-9 units arrived on the scene to search the path of the fleeing suspects. During the search, deputies collected potential evidence the suspects dropped. Additional evidence was also collected from inside the venue.
The Cherokee was later determined to have been reported stolen out of Detroit.
According to one of the owners, Jerry Hicks, the perpetrators only stole around $100 worth of joints from the back rooms. Because of this, he said he felt like the purpose might have been primarily to start the fire rather than steal anything.
“We kind of feel like this was a targeted thing, because of what it was,” he said. “Like, somebody come out and try to set the place on fire.”
He said he’s unsure how long it will take to repair the damage.
— Contact reporter Connor Veenstra at CVeenstra@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Stolen Jeep crashes into Monroe cannabis store, fire reported
Reporting by Connor Veenstra, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
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