2 boys charged after $100,000 vandalism spree

SKOWHEGAN – Two 13-year-old boys were arrested after a costly vandalism spree in this central Maine town in which trucks and other equipment were damaged.

The boys apparently skipped school Wednesday and spent at least part of the day causing more than $100,000 in damage to new state trucks and other equipment parked at the Howard P. Fairfield warehouse in Skowhegan, police said.

The boys used a street sweeper to ram other vehicles and also broke windows, smashed lights and damaged the interior of trucks, said Detective Dan Summers.

Police and prosecutors are losing patience with vandals after recent incidents that included a fire at the former Skowhegan Area Middle School, along with slashed tires and graffiti. Also, someone set off two acid bombs at the Skowhegan Wal-Mart on Nov. 25.

“You are going to see more of these juveniles go to jail,” said Summers.

The boys, who were jailed instead of being released to their parents, are each charged with two felonies, burglary and criminal mischief, as well as two misdemeanors, burglary of a motor vehicle and unauthorized use of property.

Police caught the boys after a resident reported the crime spree and helped police track them down after they fled from the warehouse.

Howard P. Fairfield manufactures and distributes snow-moving and other specialized municipal equipment, including plow trucks and street sweepers.