BOZEMAN — Over the weekend, a string of vandalism incidents hit several businesses downtown, including the Montana Honey Bee Company, which remains boarded up Monday. The owner says she still feels frustrated after she came in and saw the damage.
Joyce Thorsen has been the owner of Montana Honey Bee Company for the last 9 years and while nothing was stolen, she is still frustrated.
“Just takes one incident like that to make me feel uneasy,” says Thorson. “We couldn't find anything that was taken. It was just some stupid vandalism."
Thorson says when she came in Sunday morning, she found the store a mess.
“Well, glass. Glass everywhere. And then they had thrown a bottle of honey at the wall and, and, you know, broke some bottles of honey,” says Thorson.
Thorsen says one thing they did destroy was a way for police to track down whoever is responsible.
“They destroyed our security system,” says Thorson.
“Without any physical evidence as far as videos or pictures or people reporting, it's pretty hard to track some of these people down,” says Bozeman Patrol Captain Hal Richardson.
With large crowds downtown for the Christmas Stroll, Bozeman Police say the department doesn’t usually see a major spike in crime.
“Not every time big events like that happen do we see an increase. But just so happens this time we did see a couple of incidences of criminal mischief in the downtown area,” says Richardson.
The Ellen Theater was also vandalized, and with clear security footage, those responsible did come forward.
For now, Thorsen says she is optimistic whoever vandalized her shop will come forward.
“The biggest expense, of course, is going to be getting the window replaced. That being said, I'm hopeful they will catch the people,” says Thorson.
