By Jim Haley
Herald Writer
EVERETT — Vandals went on an early morning spree Friday, punching holes in the tires of 15 vehicles parked near W. Marine View Drive along the Everett waterfront, officials said.
Some of the vehicles were parked near the Port of Everett fishing net sheds, some in an adjacent parking lot, and others near Lombardi’s Cucina restaurant and the Inn at Port Gardner, officials said.
A few of the vehicles had all four tires punctured. The vandals used knives or other sharp objects to pierce the sides of the tires.
The owner of a van, Jim Leese of Whidbey Island, had just returned from a fishing trip on the purse seiner Polarland to find four of his tires sliced open.
"It’s very upsetting," said his mother, Juanita Leese of Everett, a member of a longtime area fishing family. "You wonder about these characters. It’s so upsetting for me. Nobody needs this."
Vehicle owners said they ordinarily feel safe leaving cars for a time in that area.
John Mohr, Port of Everett executive director, said port security watchmen discovered the vandalism about 3:30 a.m. and notified Everett police.
Some of the damage happened on land leased to others, and some on land operated by the port, he said.
Because of the spree, he said the roving security people will be more vigilant. "This isn’t something that we’ve been faced with before, at least to this magnitude," Mohr said.
One of the victims was a U.S. Navy enlisted man assigned to the USS David R. Ray, a destroyer that recently returned from a six-month deployment.
Petty Officer 1st Class Marcus Hansen said he parked his father’s vintage Ford pickup off the base because he hasn’t had a chance to get the approved stickers on the vehicle. He thought he’d picked a safe spot near the road, and previously hadn’t been overly concerned about vandalism.
But when he got off duty Friday, he found the front two tires flat.
"They were all stabbed through the sidewalls," Hansen said.
If he had the culprits in hand right now, what would he say to them?
"I’d like to ask them what they felt this accomplished," Hansen said, "and has it worked to advance their goals in life."
You can call Herald Writer Jim Haley at 425-339-3447 or send
e-mail to haley@heraldnet.com.
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