Police ready to stamp arrest tag on mailbox smashers

Thursday, September 2, 2010

MONT VERNON – Police are closing in this week on at least one and possibly more suspects in connection with the recent spree of mailbox vandalism in the northeast part of town, Chief Kyle Aspinwall said.

Roughly 25 mailboxes along Kendall Hill Road, Tater Street and Gavin Road sustained varying degrees of damage in the spree, which Aspinwall said began about 12:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 27. He wouldn’t specify how the boxes were damaged, citing the ongoing investigation, but doesn’t believe that sticks or bats were used nor were they struck by a motor vehicle.

Aspinwall said police anticipate making at least one arrest late this week or early next week, with the potential for more to follow.

The Mont Vernon vandal or vandals may have also struck in neighboring Amherst and Milford, Aspinwall said, where several mailboxes were reportedly damaged during the same time frame. “We believe the (incidents) in Amherst are connected, but aren’t yet sure about those in Milford,” he said.

Amherst Police Chief Peter Lyon said his department began receiving reports of mailbox vandalism shortly after 1 a.m. Friday. So far, five reports have come in, he said, all from residents of Austin Road.

“Given the time frame, we believe these are connected with the incidents in Mont Vernon,” Lyon said. “We do have suspects in mind as we move forward in the investigation.

Austin Road is in north-central Amherst and runs from Horace Greeley Road to Mack Hill Road near the Mont Vernon town line.

The boxes appear to have been damaged by what Lyon called “an unknown type of blunt object.” He said his department is working with Mont Vernon police on the investigation.

Milford chief Fred Douglas didn’t immediately return phone calls seeking comment on any incidents in his town.

In Mont Vernon, Tom Wahle said he and his neighbor were among those whose mailboxes were hit.

“I just got finished helping my neighbor put his (box) back together,” Wahle said Tuesday morning. “They did a pretty good job on that one, he needed a whole new bracket and box.”

Wahle, who lives at 73 Tater St., said another neighbor told him she’d spotted the alleged vandals stop their car, get out and start throwing rocks at a mailbox and later, begin kicking it. “I guess they tried the martial arts thing on that one,” Wahle said, adding that they also made a lot of noise.

“Apparently they were laughing and being really loud, it didn’t seem they cared too much if someone heard them,” Wahle said.

While he estimates the new hardware and mailbox cost his neighbor around $50, Wahle said he was able to put his box back together with the existing hardware.

Aspinwall said Kendall Hill Road and Tater Street, which are essentially sections of the same road, were the hardest hit. Calls began coming in Friday morning and afternoon, as residents gradually discovered the damage, he said.

Aspinwall said such off-hour incidents were among his reasons for requesting that funding for more part-time officers be included in the 2010-11 town budget. “This is one of the reasons I asked for (the funding), so we could have someone out there preventing these things,” he said of the vandalism spree. “But my point of view didn’t pan out.”

Aspinwall urged all residents who discover vandalism to their mailboxes or other property to report it to police, as even minor details may help with the investigation.

Dean Shalhoup can be reached at 673-3100, ext. 31, or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.