3 From Valley Held In Vandalism Spree

Thu., March 2, 2000

By Trinity Hartman trinityh@spokesman.com

Sheriff’s deputies have arrested two Valley men and a youth after a Millwood area vandalism spree earlier this month.

Residents along the quiet, go-nowhere roads near the Spokane River in Millwood woke earlier this month to find tires slashed, windows broken, fences ruined and garages burglarized.

Vandals hit the area between Fairview and South Riverway avenues and Coleman and Vista roads the night of Feb. 2. In the course of five hours, 69 tires were slashed and 29 houses were vandalized or burglarized, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The vandalism totaled more than $10,000 in damages, while property worth about $1,300 was stolen.

Such acts of vandalism as tearing down light poles and fences and breaking windows attracted attention. Six people witnessed suspicious activity, said Cpl. David Reagan, Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

“There was absolutely no stealth involved, so it’s not surprising to have witnesses,” Reagan said.

James V. Wright, 20, 7120 E. Euclid, Travis L. Tupper, 19, 508 N. Raymond, and a 17-year-old male were arrested last Thursday. They were charged on numerous counts of burglary, theft, malicious mischief, and trafficking in stolen property. More charges are possible, Reagan said.

“It was really reassuring that they caught someone,” said Theo Egan, who lives on South Riverway Avenue.

The white fence outside Egan’s home was broken and will cost several hundred dollars to fix, she said.

“Now the question is, what are they going to do to teach them a lesson and make them pay?” she wondered.

A neighbor a few houses down from Egan had a wrench thrown through a window. Other neighbors had the tires on their cars slashed.

“This is rather a quiet neighborhood and we don’t normally have things like that happen,” Egan said. She’s been living in a house that fronts on the river for 50 years. Most of her neighbors have been around a long time as well.

They don’t often have people driving by at all, much less causing trouble, she said.

“It was shocking to us,” Egan said.

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