EVERETT — A neighbor frustrated with parking around Everett High School apparently took it out on a teacher’s car — twice.
Prosecutors say the woman, 59, racked up enough damage to make her vandalism a felony. One of the outbursts cost an estimated $1,253 in repairs, according to new court papers.
During the Everett police investigation, the woman reportedly told a detective they should be friends and offered him vegetables from her garden.
The first incident occurred in January 2017. The teacher parked her 2016 Mazda on 24th Street. During the school day, someone keyed the driver’s side “starting at the front headlight and continued to the rear quarter panel,” detective Daniel Rabelos wrote in his report. The teacher contacted police and added that a resident had yelled at her in the past over parking.
At the time, police didn’t realize the cost of the damage, which pushed the crime beyond a misdemeanor.
Then came February 2017. The teacher again parked her car, now repaired, on that stretch of 24th. It was keyed a second time. A note was left on the window in black marker: “No school parking.”
This time, an officer found surveillance video. It showed an SUV pulling up alongside the Mazda. The video showed the driver going over to the Mazda, though the movements after that were obscured. The officer went back and found video from the January incident as well. It showed something remarkably similar happening, according to the report.
The officer identified the SUV’s owner. That’s when the detective got involved. He called the suspect, who lives on Hoyt Avenue near the high school.
The woman reportedly admitted to the keying, saying it happened “out of frustration.” She said she was recovering from an injury and had trouble carrying groceries in from her car.
The detective said he would have been happy to carry the groceries instead of her resorting to crime.
As the case continued, the woman came back to the police station in March 2017, Rabelos wrote. She said her pain medication had affected her judgment. That is when she allegedly offered the friendship and vegetables.
The woman was charged June 22 with second-degree malicious mischief. She has no previous criminal history.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @rikkiking.
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