Mischief Rampant As School Year Ends Police Report 35 Instances, Including Attacks On Animals

On the first weekend since school was out, city police saw the number of small crimes rise with the mercury.

“There was a just a tremendous amount of activity this weekend,” Sgt. Bill Drollinger said. “This isn’t something we’re used to seeing.”

There were 35 reports of malicious mischief over the weekend, compared with 27 the weekend before - a 30 percent increase.

“Historically, malicious mischief is done by youth. We’d like to ask parents to know where their kids are and who they’re running with so they’re not out damaging property,” Drollinger said.

Cars were tipped over around Manito Park, a cat was shot in Cannon Hill and windows were smashed in houses in the Logan, Shadle Park and Garry Park areas. In one case, a window was smashed with a rock the size of a soccer ball. The savagery and dangerousness of the incidents disturbed authorities. Someone killed five baby rabbits, leaving two of the animals skewered on a fork.

In another case, someone in a car threw a water balloon into the windshield of an oncoming vehicle in Lincoln Heights, shattering the glass.

The list of damage also includes windows smashed at a school, a bus shelter and in vehicles in the Shadle Park, Cannon Hill, Lincoln Heights and Garry Park areas.

Eggs were thrown at a car and houses in the Logan area. A car window was shot out in the Nevada Lidgerwood neighborhood.

Of particular concern to police are the two cases of animal cruelty.

“Not only did someone lose a pet, but this could be the beginnings of someone’s progression on to more serious criminal activity,” Drollinger said. “Just the fact that animals were targeted, it’s a concern. If we have someone being cruel to animals we don’t want that to escalate into someone hurting children or the elderly.”