Vandals hit several vehicles
parked at military housing in Butzbach
By Rick Scavetta,
Stars and Stripes
BUTZBACH, Germany — Military police are investigating several acts of vandalism at
Roman Way Housing Area after residents this week reported damage to their cars.
Soldiers who live along New York Road awoke Tuesday to find their cars’ paint
scratched and windshields broken. In at least one case, someone scrawled obscenities into
a car’s finish.
"I feel we’re not safe now," said Mary McLain, whose husband is a
soldier with 1st Battalion 37th Armored Regiment in Friedberg. "Right now it’s a
car, but what happens later?"
McLain found a small hole in her windshield and scrapes all over her Toyota Corolla,
she said. The car was parked in front of her apartment.
Lt. Col. David Bender, commander of the 284th base Support Battalion in Giessen, said
military police started an investigation but residents should remain alert to the problem.
"Unfortunately, things like this happen," Bender said. "It could be
anyone."
By Friday morning, seven residents had filed vandalism reports with the provost
marshal, said Petra Roberts, a battalion spokeswoman.
But two residents said that at least 14 cars were damaged. All the cars were fine
Monday night at the apartment-style housing complex, which does not have controlled
access, the residents said.
The first resident to call MPs on Tuesday reported damage to the hood of a green
Chevrolet, Bender said.
German police in Butzbach said the only reports of vandalism that evening came from the
housing area.
If other cars were damaged, soldiers must report it to the MPs, Bender said. Meanwhile,
military police will continue to patrol Roman Way, Bender said.
Like McLain, residents began a lengthy claims process with the legal office in
Friedberg, to see if their insurance will help pay for the damage to the cars.
"Now I have to videotape the damage," McLain said. "Just to have proof
that it’s true."
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