A Michigan man may not be able to realize his dream of opening a brewing business after local teens allegedly vandalized his property.
Ryan Long spent the past seven years working toward the goal of opening DirtBag Brewing Company in Van Buren County and planned to open it in 2023, according to Fox News. He told “Fox & Friends First” that he fears that there will be “zero accountability” for the three 13-year-olds who allegedly caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to the business.
“A TOTAL LOSS”: A Michigan brewery may never reopen after devastating act of teen vandalism causes as much as $200k in damages to his business.https://t.co/dJbynfIakr
— Fox & Friends First (@FoxFriendsFirst) January 27, 2023
Long told “Fox & Friends First” that he self-funded the project, pouring his savings and retirement into the project. He was uninsured when the act of vandalism occurred, and the damage could cost around $200,000 to repair, according to local ABC affiliate WZZM. [RELATED: Minority-Owned Coffee Shop Allegedly Vandalized For Hosting ‘Coffee With A Cop’ Event]
The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office told Long that the teenagers had gone inside the property for three days straight, according to WZZM. Long said that they broke all the windows and overhead doors, damaged several vehicles and removed the oil cap and hydraulic lines before filling “everything full of sand.” He also told a local CBS affiliate that there were cameras on property, but said one camera was destroyed and the other was not working.
A friend launched a GoFundMe to help rebuild Long’s brewery, and local businesses also plan to host fundraisers for it, according to WZZM. He also plans to offer a “large reward” for any information that could lead to an arrest and conviction, the CBS affiliate reported.