Vandals Cost County Thousands in Equipment Damage
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BROWNSVILLE- The search is on for a group of vandals. Cameron County officials said the group did thousands of dollars in damage to county road equipment.
Retiree Camillo Guerrero told CHANNEL 5 NEWS he's seen it all.
The Brownsville native is now enjoying his slice of paradise on a plot of land in the Cameron Park area. He and his wife spend their time making upgrades to their trailer. Friday evening they heard a loud noise.
"I went to check it out, and I see some kids. They already had the blinkers on one of the tractors, sweeper, or whatever it is. And I keep seeing kids running, three passed by right here next to us," Guerrero said.
He said the teens were carrying something heavy. The couple went inside their home and locked their doors. He then called the police to report what he witnessed.
He told CHANNEL 5 NEWS he hates to see his tax dollars spent on repairs that can be avoided.
"Well it concerns me because I do have to pay some taxes, and some of the taxes can go for a better use than to replace all the stuff that was broken," Guerrero said.
Guerrero tells us he wants to see Cameron County officials better protect this equipment, so taxpayer dollars can be better spent elsewhere.
"It's dark out there. They need more lighting out here. They need someone to stay around to keep an eye on the equipment," Guerrero told CHANNEL 5 NEWS.
We spoke to Cameron County Road Administrator Ruben Gonzalez. He said three rollers, two backhoes and a motor grader were vandalized Friday evening. He explained the county moved the road equipment to this location because they believed it would be better protected. Now they're facing around $2,500 in repairs.
Gonzalez hopes anyone with knowledge of this crime will call law enforcement. He said when acts of vandalism like this occur taxpayers are not only affected by repair cost, but also rescheduling of road projects.
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