DILLINGHAM: Police are continuing to investigate tire slashings last weekend. In total, five cars were damaged.
On Friday night, folks gathered at the weekly pinochle game at the Senior Center walked outside around 11 p.m. and discovered tires on three cars had been punctured or slashed. One of those belonged to Bert and Crystal Luckhurst.
“My mother-in-law had borrowed the car to go the game, and called me about 11:30 p.m. after she discovered the slashed tires,” said Bert Luckhurst. “What a bum deal. Who targets the old folks at the Senior Center?”
Luckhurst was able to put a set of winter tires on to get their Honda Pilot back on the road, but estimates it will cost $500 to purchase and ship new tires in for next spring.
“I think we’re going to watch where we park this thing from now on,” he said.
On Saturday night, off-duty police officer Craig Maines discovered tires on his personal vehicle and his police SUV had been slashed outside his residence in the Choggiung Apartments.
“We don’t have any leads yet, but we don’t think anyone was targeted specifically,” said Dillingham Police Chief Dan Pasquariello. There was an unconfirmed report of a slashed tire on a city backhoe Monday, and several Dillingham area residents have taken to Facebook in recent weeks to say they have discovered lug nuts loosened on their vehicle wheels. These bizarre and uncommon incidents come just weeks after a truck was intentionally burned at a Dillingham residence in what may have been retaliation for the owner standing up to drug sales in his neighborhood. Some wonder if this recent vandalism is similarly connected.
“I don’t think so,” Pasquariello reiterated, “but we aren’t ruling that out.” He asked anyone with information to call the Department at 842-5354.