SAULT STE. MARIE — On Wednesday, Sept. 4, at approximately 6:00 a.m., the Sault Ste. Marie Police Department was dispatched to a breaking and entering complaint at the Krist Oil Gas Station on Riverview Way.
Officers said two adults and one minor broke into the building and stole over $17,000 worth of merchandise. There was also an estimated $4,500 worth of damage done to the building.
Julia Linville-Drake and Melissa Cowling were taken into custody on charges related to this crime.
As the investigation unfolded and multiple search warrants were executed, officers identified Linville-Drake, Cowling and a different minor as suspects in a series of break-ins and thefts that occurred at various youth sports concession stands throughout this past summer.
These concession stands included the James Field concession stand, the McClellan Pavilion concession stand, the Sault Little League concession stand and field house, and the A.J. VanCitter’s Athletic Field concession stand and press box.
Linville-Drake and Cowling were ultimately charged with conducting a criminal enterprise by the Chippewa County Prosecutor’s Office, and both juveniles involved were also charged and will be processed through the 50th Circuit Court Family Division.
The total value of the items stolen was over $20,000 and the total damage to the various buildings is estimated to be over $10,000.
