Fort St. John bowling alley suffers third break-in in three years

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A local business in Fort St. John is searching for answers after yet another break in.

Fort Bowling Lanes says it has fallen victim to its third burglary in the last three years, after the most recent break-in on April 6th.

According to Kevin Alexander, owner of Fort Bowling Lanes, he received a call at 3:24 a.m. on Monday, informing him the alarm inside his business had gone off. 

Alexander says he informed police before heading up to the bowling alley. 

Once he arrived, Alexander said the thieves used a three-foot crowbar to prop open the doors, damaging both the interior and exterior of the property. The thieves also stole Hey Yall! and black cherry White Claw stock, a box of skittles and some peanut butter cups. Alexander said the thieves also damaged his till attempting to steal money.

In a Facebook post, Fort Bowling Lanes said it’s “disappointing” to see people breaking into businesses that help the community. 

“Unfortunately we got broken into last night and ultimately it costs everyone money. Honestly super heart-breaking that people have to stoop to that low of a level to hurt the community even more,” the post reads. 

“As a businessman I’m getting really tired of paying for damages because people are stupid,” Alexander told Energeticcity.ca. “It costs everybody that enjoys our business every time this happens because business owners have no other way to recoup costs except increased prices.”

Alexander urges the community to be vigilant. 

“If you see or hear something suspicious, call it in. Let the police do their job, maybe we can catch some of these guys in the act.” 

Fort Bowling Lanes experienced a similar incident on June 1st, 2024 when two suspects broke into the property. 

Fort St. John RCMP said at the time the suspects allegedly stole a backpack full of liquor. 

The Fort St. John RCMP said officers are investigating the recent incident, but no suspects have yet been identified.