Police Investigate Vandalism To Public & Private Property

By Andrew Gorosko

Police are investigating a spate of vandalism that occurred last weekend, in which unknown people damaged a variety of public and private property, according to Sergeant Douglas Wisentaner.

An overall dollar estimate on the property damage was not yet available.

Vandals intentionally damaged a police department traffic speed display that was positioned on Queen Street. That incident probably occurred overnight on July 24–25.

The unknown vandals apparently threw a large rock at the speed display that was attached to a utility pole near 27 Queen Street, rendering the device inoperable, the sergeant said.

Police use such displays to inform motorists of their travel speeds as they approach the device. It is used to encourage compliance with posted speed limits.

Police plan to ship the speed display back to its manufacturer to have it repaired. The radar unit inside the display apparently was not damaged, police said. The unit’s value is approximately $2,500.

In damaging various private property, the vandals apparently used either rocks or baseball bats as weapons. The damage appears to have been random, generally having occurred when it was dark, Sgt Wisentaner said.

Sometime between 3:30 pm on July 24 and 11:30 am on July 26, someone intentionally damaged a parked vehicle at a Peck’s Lane residence by using a rock, police said. The home is on the southern section of Peck’s Lane.

Overnight on July 24–25, someone vandalized several vehicles and several mailboxes in the Pond Brook Road area, police said. 

Sometime between 12:30 and 9:30 am on July 25, someone intentionally damaged a residential mailbox on Hanover Road, near its intersection with Bramble Trail, police report.

Police are investigating an incident in which someone intentionally damaged a residential mailbox at a Parmalee Hill Road address, near that street’s intersection with Butterfield Road, sometime between 8 pm July 25 and 8 am July 26.

At about 3 am on July 25, someone vandalized mailboxes in the area of Brushy Hill Road, Hattertown Road, Boggs Hill Road, and Abbotts Hill Road, police said.

Police ask anyone with information on who damaged the various property to contact them at the police station at 3 Main Street. The telephone number is 426-5841 or 270-8888.