The side view mirror on Joan Szczepanik's car was ripped loose Saturday, Feb. 14, while it was parked on the second level of the Athens City Parking Garage on the corner of Washington and College streets. She found broken beer bottles lying nearby.
Szczepanik, an Ohio University sophomore, said she was angered by the incident, but it was not her first brush with car vandalism.
My car had been keyed earlier in the year in my other parking spot (on Hocking Street)
she said. It makes me kind of scared to park my car anywhere.
Szczepanik is not alone. The Athens area recently has experienced a rash of car vandalisms and break-ins, Athens Police Department Lt. John Withers said.
Periodic episodes of numerous vehicle break-ins occur a few times a year, although specific data were not available, he said.
No specific group of people or area is being targeted for the break-ins, Withers said.
Sometimes they hit residential areas sometimes they hit OU's parking lots or city parking lots he said.
APD is dealing with the break-in problem by patrolling the city and asking residents to report anything unusual, Withers said.
If anybody sees anybody tampering with a vehicle
they should call our office immediately
he said.
Three incidents of items being stolen from vehicles have been reported to the OU Police Department since Jan. 1. The total amount of stolen property was about $750, said OUPD Chief Tony Camechis.
Vehicle vandalism in OU parking lots or garages also has been reported, though OUPD tries to establish a presence to prevent break-ins and vandalisms, he said.
We do a great deal of patrol in the parking facilities and parking lots
Camechis said.
Stolen items often are CDs and stereos, Withers said.
The cost of repairing vandalized cars depends on what is broken, said Dennis Buttrick of In-Town Body Shop Inc., 7 W. Carpenter St.
To replace a dashboard, for example, would cost about $1,000, but a broken lock would be a few hundred dollars. Paint jobs normally cost several thousand dollars, and can reach $3,500 or $4,000 if there is damage in multiple places, he said.
Normally we see the dashes are what's the most expensive
he said. (The vandalizers) don't take much care getting out what they want
