At the end of a stressful work week, many look forward to the restorative aspects of yoga practice. But Friday morning, that prospect of peace was shattered for Morgan Stevens and many of her students.
Stevens owns Yoga Central, a yoga studio on West 10th Street in Great Bend. She discovered the destruction when she arrived to teach her 6 a.m. yoga class.
At least three bullets from a high-caliber gun had been shot through the front door of the business sometime the night before, shattering the double-paned commercial glass, spraying glass shards and dust in the foyer, and penetrating the wall of her adjoining pottery studio. The bullets continued through the studio to the back of the building where one may have ricocheted, hitting the door of a closet near the back of the building.
“It was not good when I got here. It was sad,” she said. The disappointment and dismay overshadowed the yogi. She noted, however, that she was glad the culprits did not act during normal business hours, and she believes she wasn’t personally targeted.
The Great Bend Police responded to the scene Friday morning, Police Chief Cliff Couch said. He confirmed the shots were from a high calliber gun, not from a bb-gun as some of the other incidents have been. Officers are continuing to investigate.
“We’re all hard working people,” Stevens said. “We’re all working many, many hours. We put a lot of blood, sweat, tears into these places. There are only so many opportunities during the week for me to make money, and this was one of my bigger days.”
Classes for the rest of the day were cancelled while she and husband Jeff made arrangements to have the glass repaired and dealt with the aftermath.
This wasn’t the first time the Stevens have had their business hit. Two years ago, their building was burglarized around the same time Jeff’s father’s business was broken into. Jeff’s dirt bike was stolen, but Great Bend Police were able to recover it.
They had clear photos of the culprit, and pressed charges, but never heard back from County Attorney Doug Matthews’ office, Jeff said.
They are hopeful they will be able to provide police with needed evidence once again. If so, they are hopeful with County Attorney Amy Meillor now sworn in, victims of crime like the Stevens’ will finally begin to see some justice.
For now, Stevens is doing her best to look on the bright side. After the initial clean up is completed and the shock has worn off, classes will resume as normal starting Monday.