Ryan ChartrandHer car had been vandalized before, but Janet Hopton didn’t expect it to happen again. The biology junior parked her car in front of a friend’s house on Hathway Street on Saturday night and got a ride home from a friend. The next morning, she was shocked to see how different her car looked.
“I pulled up in front of it and my entire windshield had been smashed,” she said, adding that the car had visibly been jumped on, as there were footprint indentations. The truck parked in front of her had also been attacked, as well as three cars parked behind her.
Lt. Chris Staley of the San Luis Obispo Police Department said Hopton’s was one of 10 attacks reported on Hathway Street that night.
“It looks like they left a place and on their way home, went on a destruction path,” Staley said.
University Police Department Chief Bill Watton said that path was likely from Mustang Village to the campus residence halls. In addition to the Hathway Street vandalisms, police found two attacks in Mustang Village, one on Mill Street and three on campus. Police said rocks had been thrown through windows, side mirrors had been broken and campus police found a trash can on a vehicle.
“I would assume that he was a kid out at a party somewhere, but I didn’t see that many kids on the street,” Hopton said.
The damages add up to more than $2,000, Staley said, and the perpetrator faces felony charges. Staley added that soon after the incident, an 18-year-old suspect was interviewed who admitted to the crimes and has since been forwarded to the district attorney.
Watton, however, was not precise about the perpetrator and said “we think we may have identified a suspect.” He does believe another suspect was likely involved.
“It would be very rare for one person to walk around doing that,” Watton said. “It’s pretty rare to have this kind of thing.”
Despite the fact that the vandalism occurred on Mardi Gras weekend, both Watton and Staley believe the incident was unrelated.
“I would guess that it’s probably alcohol-related, but not Mardi Gras related,” Watton said.
“This could happen on any weekend,” Staley added.
As for Hopton, paying to tow her car and have the windshield replaced has added up to about $350 – and she still has to replace the hood and the side fenders.
“This is the second time my car has been parked on a random street and someone has tried to destroy it,” she said. “I’m definitely going to be smarter about where I park.”