GOSHEN, Ind. (WSBT) — A Goshen barbershop was broken into early Tuesday morning, and the thieves made more than just cash.
The incident occurred at Braley's Barber Shop in downtown Goshen.
The thieves were able to steal over $1,500 worth of barber shop tools and equipment, as well as several favorite collectible items stored inside the store.
He also stole merchandise from the store.
The owner of Braly's Barber Den was shocked to learn his barbershop had been robbed.
The thieves made off with equipment as well as cash, forcing the owners to use old tools or buy new ones.
“And yes, it really hurts our lives. I have a family to take care of, and this is how I do it. He brought tools to my job. It really sucks. ” said owner Sean Braley.
Braley was able to catch the thief on camera, and Goshen police had his fingerprints on file.
The man accused of theft was later taken into custody by Goshen police.
Police said the suspect turned himself in because he was wearing one of the stolen items, a hat worn by owner Garth Brooks, who was last seen on the World Tour.
“I'm obviously a big fan of Garth, so this was pretty heartbreaking, but I know it didn't mean I couldn't connect him to the crime, so I'm very grateful,” Braley said. said.
Throughout the day, the store was crowded with customers wanting haircuts and customers supporting the store.
One customer said his family has been going to Braly's for over a year.
“We came to get our son's haircut today. We saw you here and asked what was going on and he said there was a break-in on Tuesday night, it's devastating. I think it's horrible and shameful,” Stacey Guevara said.
Braley says the community means everything to him and the response has been amazing.
The GoFundMe he created is already more than halfway to its goal.
Local restaurant Biebs and Ash also has a featured burger, with a portion of the proceeds going to the barbershop.
The name of the hamburger is “The Braly Barber Smash”.
“I'm a Marine Corps veteran, so I know that if something gets in my way, I have to overcome it, and that's what I do. We'll see. It's worse. It could have been worse. He could have done more. All in all. It could have been very damaging to the entire business,” Braley said.
The store's GoFundMe is working to replace stolen and unrecovered equipment, repair the door, and obtain a safe to prevent something like this from happening again.
If you have information about stolen property, please contact Goshen Police.