Teens arrested in school bus vandalism case
Published on Tue, Aug 10, 2010 by Beckye RandallRead More Local News
Thanks to key information provided by a local citizen, Arlington police arrested two 17-year-old males early August 5 in connection with vandalism during the previous weekend at the Arlington School District bus barn that left over 40 school buses with significant damage.
The vandals kicked out windshields, twisted off windshield wipers and tossed rocks through side windows. They also slashed seats on at least one bus and bent engine door panels on others. Altogether, the vandalism price tag is approaching the $50,000 mark.
In addition to information gathered from the citizen's tip, police seized numerous items of evidence tying both suspects to the crimes. After their separate arrests, the young men also confessed to the vandalism.
Both youths are Arlington residents and Weston High School students with prior criminal history. They were booked into Denny Youth Center in Everett on charges of second-degree burglary.
Crews from the Arlington district were joined by mechanics from Stanwood-Camano, Marysville and Sultan school districts last week to clean up the mess caused by shattered windows and windshields.
"The transportation people have been awesome," said the district's transportation supervisor Cheryl Power. "They've really come through in a pinch, and the cooperation is so rewarding."
Clean-up crews, concerned about shards of glass that may be lodged in areas that could harm students, were unbolting each seat to reach all the likely hiding spots. Broken glass also found its way into the buses' windshield defroster units, so mechanics were dismantling dashboards to vacuum out any loose fragments.
The district is scheduled for a safety inspection by the Washington State Patrol on August 16, "and we're working hard to meet that deadline," said Power. However, the WSP has indicated they will accommodate the district with a later inspection if necessary.
The bus yard is located in an industrial area near the Arlington Airport. Several other nearby businesses reported vandalism in the same time frame, between Friday night and Saturday morning, July 30-31.
Power is confident the district will be beefing up security at the facility, adding more barbed wire to the top of fencing and installing a video security system.
Fortunately, the district's insurance will cover all but $5,000 of the costs of repairs for the vandalism incident.
Arlington neighborhoods were hit with two additional and apparently independent incidents of vandalism in early August.
Approximately 25 parked vehicles in the High Clover Park and Heartland residential neighborhoods suffered slashed tires in the early morning hours of August 2. Two young teens, ages 13 and 14, were apprehended in conjunction with the vandalism, which also included the destruction of several signs and lawn ornaments.
Just a couple of days later, between 11 p.m. August 3 and 5 a.m. August 4, several homes and cars in the Gleneagle area were apparently hit by BB pellets. No arrests have been made in this case, and Arlington police are asking citizens to call with any information about the incident.
The vandals kicked out windshields, twisted off windshield wipers and tossed rocks through side windows. They also slashed seats on at least one bus and bent engine door panels on others. Altogether, the vandalism price tag is approaching the $50,000 mark.
In addition to information gathered from the citizen's tip, police seized numerous items of evidence tying both suspects to the crimes. After their separate arrests, the young men also confessed to the vandalism.
Both youths are Arlington residents and Weston High School students with prior criminal history. They were booked into Denny Youth Center in Everett on charges of second-degree burglary.
Crews from the Arlington district were joined by mechanics from Stanwood-Camano, Marysville and Sultan school districts last week to clean up the mess caused by shattered windows and windshields.
"The transportation people have been awesome," said the district's transportation supervisor Cheryl Power. "They've really come through in a pinch, and the cooperation is so rewarding."
Clean-up crews, concerned about shards of glass that may be lodged in areas that could harm students, were unbolting each seat to reach all the likely hiding spots. Broken glass also found its way into the buses' windshield defroster units, so mechanics were dismantling dashboards to vacuum out any loose fragments.
The district is scheduled for a safety inspection by the Washington State Patrol on August 16, "and we're working hard to meet that deadline," said Power. However, the WSP has indicated they will accommodate the district with a later inspection if necessary.
The bus yard is located in an industrial area near the Arlington Airport. Several other nearby businesses reported vandalism in the same time frame, between Friday night and Saturday morning, July 30-31.
Power is confident the district will be beefing up security at the facility, adding more barbed wire to the top of fencing and installing a video security system.
Fortunately, the district's insurance will cover all but $5,000 of the costs of repairs for the vandalism incident.
Arlington neighborhoods were hit with two additional and apparently independent incidents of vandalism in early August.
Approximately 25 parked vehicles in the High Clover Park and Heartland residential neighborhoods suffered slashed tires in the early morning hours of August 2. Two young teens, ages 13 and 14, were apprehended in conjunction with the vandalism, which also included the destruction of several signs and lawn ornaments.
Just a couple of days later, between 11 p.m. August 3 and 5 a.m. August 4, several homes and cars in the Gleneagle area were apparently hit by BB pellets. No arrests have been made in this case, and Arlington police are asking citizens to call with any information about the incident.
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