Traverse City Record-Eagle

Grand Traverse County

December 26, 2008

Vandals shooting out car, business windows

BY ART BUKOWSKI

TRAVERSE CITY -- Larry Wolfe finished watching a movie at the Grand Traverse Mall with his wife and daughter, who waited near the theater while he fetched their Chevrolet Suburban.

Wolfe climbed in the vehicle, wheeled around and picked up his family. He didn't notice anything wrong at first, but his daughter soon did.

"I started driving through the parking lot, and my daughter mentioned the back window was blown out," he said.

Wolfe stopped to examine the damage. Someone with a pellet gun left him an unwanted Christmas present: a gaping hole about 2 feet long and 4 feet wide. At least four other vehicles in the lot were damaged in a similar way, all shortly before 9:30 p.m. Thursday.

"What kind of people have nothing better to do on Christmas day than to go around trying to cause problems for other people?" Wolfe said.

The window shootings come on the heels of a rash of similar incidents in Traverse City. Windows of both cars and businesses -- including the Front Street Burger King -- were shot out this week and late last week. Officers believe the suspect or suspects drove around shooting at the windows with a BB or high-powered pellet gun.

The Grand Traverse Sheriff's Department investigated the mall incidents. Sheriff's Sgt. Randy Fewless said Traverse City police handled a fresh round of shootings in the city at about the time sheriff's deputies responded to the mall, and there's a "very good" chance all of the incidents are related.

Police hope to nab the suspect or suspects soon, Fewless said.

"A lot of times people who do these types of things want to brag about it," he said, which often leads to tips from the public.

Wolfe said he'll have to pay a $150 deductible to his insurance company for the repairs, and the fix likely will have to wait. He was having trouble Friday morning finding an open glass shop that would be able to do the work.

Others victimized might have hassles of a different nature.

"One family I spoke to was vacationing from Florida; it was a rental car they had," Wolfe said. "My thought was: This is a fine representation of Traverse City to out-of-state visitors."

Anyone with information about the incidents can call the Silent Observer tip line at 947-TIPS.

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