Late night vandalism spree has RCMP determined to apprehend suspects
By Kyra Hoggan
Police have made a plea for the public to come forward with any information that will help them find two suspects in a late-night vandalism spree RCMP are saying is, “not just criminal, it’s despicable.”
Castlegar RCMP Cpl. Deb Postnikoff said this morning started with a call to a home in the 800 block of 9th Avenue, where footprints in the snow led police to the tentative conclusion that the suspects were casing the home. The footprints led to an expensive boat and camper, as well as to vehicle doors, presumably as the suspects looked for unlocked doors or unsecured valuables.
“Nothing was taken, but it just progressed from there,” Postnikoff said.
Postnikoff noted orange-spray-paint graffiti in the snow – swastikas and other offensive symbols and drawings – and followed the signs of vandalism to the corner of 8th Street and 9th Avenue, where two stop signs had been spattered with orange paint.
“That’s when we got a call from another resident on the same block, just around the corner, whose Volkswagen had been vandalized with the same orange spray paint,” Postnikoff said, adding she also saw more graffiti on the snow and on stop signs near this complainant’s house.
“Next came a call to the 600 block of Columbia Avenue, where the same orange paint was used to draw a very vulgar symbol on the front of a dentist’s office,” she said.
But the fun wasn’t over yet – the next call saw police en route to the 700 block of Woodland Drive, where the resident’s logging truck had been painted with obscene language and other forms of vandalism.
The surrounding community had yet more signs of vandalism on stop signs, snow banks and the like.
“We determined the paint was stolen off the truck, so that was where ti all started,” Postnikoff said. “It frustrated a lot of people, and will cost a lot of money to clean up.”
“No one should have to wake up to find their property senselessly destroyed …this isn’t just criminal, it’s despicable.”
The good news was that the paint was a type used by loggers to mark logs, and is easily cleaned off hard surfaces. …small consolation to the dentist, as his walls are stucco and the paint stains that kind of porous surface.
Postnikoff said there are two suspects in the spree, and are asking anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious between the hours of about 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. to contact her at the Castlegar RCMP detachment at 250-365-7721.
She also encouraged residents, should they see anything suspicious or any suspicious vehicles (especially at this time of year, when people tend to be purchasing and transporting valuable gifts), to try to get a license plate number or a description of the suspect and, of course, to call police.
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