* * Helping to catch some vandals

I am an inveterate walker of the Huckleberry Trail, typically cranking out three to six miles before dinner. Most of these excursions are mundane events, perfect for cardiovascular fitness and fleshing out my day’s events. One evening last week contained a bit more excitement.

It was a cold evening, but that’s nothing new this season. While I’m not impervious to weather, I generally go anyway and simply deal with it. Because of the 20F air, I had the trail pretty much to myself.

My default walk is from the Trail’s intersection at Mabry Lane near the entrance to Warm Hearth southbound towards the New River Valley Mall. My plan was to turn around at the abutment to the trestle over the railroad tracks, given that there was still plenty of snow on the ground and I knew it wouldn’t be plowed.

I crossed Hightop and Merrimac Roads without incident, and made my way past the Coal Heritage Park, where the reclaimed coal mining cart and winch sit. I noticed that there were several basketball-sized snowballs in the middle of the previously plowed trail, obviously placed there on purpose by someone creating some mischief. Rounding the corner towards the south end of the Heritage Park, I saw two male figures some 100 yards ahead, appearing to be playing on and beside the trail. I heard something snap like a tree limb. As I continued, they walked away and vanished up a hollow beside the trail. At that point, I noticed that one of the nice signs for the Park had multiple footprints around it and then saw that it had been destroyed. Hmmm.

At this point, I was wracked with uncertainty, acrimony, and fear. What should I do? Did the men see me, and did they know I saw them and what they’d evidently done? Finally, I convinced myself to call 911. “I don't know if vandalism is an emergency, but…” The dispatcher took my name and location. He said there were no deputies nearby (It was in the County) but would try to find someone. It would have been a 100-to-one chance an officer would be able to find them.

Meanwhile, I walked on. I reached my turn-around point and headed back. Near the mid-park area, I saw the two young men again, this time frolicking at the park area near the coal cart and winch. I kept my head down and kept walking. Then I called 911 again. Dispatch said, “We have someone on his way.”

I met a deputy (who happens to be my neighbor) at the intersection of Merrimac Road and told him where they were. I offered to help, but he sent me on my way as he walked the trail towards them.
Twenty minutes later, as I reached my car, my cell phone rang. “I got 'em!” he said, excitedly. He told me they were walking towards him, and he confronted them. He said the conversation went something like this:

“Hi guys,” said the deputy.

“Hi officer,” they replied.

“Whatcha doing?”

“Just hanging out.”

“How long you been out here?” the officer asked.

“A while now…”

“Then you must be the ones that did the vandalism.”

“Oh, no. We haven’t done anything.”

“Boys, you were seen by a witness destroying public property. You’re out here, and it’s dark and the park is closed. So I can charge you with trespassing. If I have to call back the witness, I’ll find lots of other things to charge you with.”

At that point, they confessed.

He was kind to call and tell me, saying that it is quite unusual to catch someone committing a crime and that help from citizens like me is crucial. “Most of the bad guys get away,” he admitted ruefully.

When the time came for me to make the call, I equivocated, with vandalism being scarcely an emergency. But now I’m reassured that I did the right thing. He reassured me that as vandalism is a crime, it was legitimate and appropriate for me to call 911.

What drove me to make the call was my anger! Nothing drives me to despair like vandalism and they really made me mad. This is MY park, OUR park, I care about it, and they were damaging it!

The deputy went on to say that the two men, ages 19 and 20, had no arrest record. So they will probably face nothing more than a repair invoice and perhaps some community service. But still... Perhaps next time they’ll think twice about destroying things.

Please, if you see something, say something. Don’t let crimes go unpunished!