CMU police offering $250 reward for details on malicious destruction of 26 vehicles in Lot 70

Twenty-six vehicles parked in Lot 70 near Theunissen Baseball Stadium on West Campus Dr. were found to be damaged Monday morning.

Central Michigan University Police Department Lt. Larry Klaus said, between 10 p.m. Sunday and 3 a.m. Monday, one or two individuals punctured vehicle tires with a sharp instrument or knife, causing up to $4,000 in property damages.

Some vehicles had one slashed tire, while others had up to three or four, Klaus said.

Additionally, several vehicles had gas caps removed and antennas bent.

At about 8:30 a.m. Monday, CMU police began investigating the incident by reviewing the crime scene and campus video surveillance in an effort to catch those responsible. The scene has been processed for any prints, photographs and foot impressions.

Klaus said police believe the suspects are CMU students because vehicle tracks they followed lead to university grounds.

“We suspect there’s probably two people involved, because there’s two sets of tracks we followed back to campus,” he said.

Klaus said this is the worst count of malicious destruction he’s seen in his two years at CMU.

“It’s a random act of destruction, and it’s uncalled for,” he said. “It’s put a lot of inconvenience to a lot of students, and it’s caused a lot of damage.”

The victims have been identified as CMU students.

CMU police is offering a $250 reward for information that leads to the apprehension or arrest of the individuals involved in the crime by contacting Detective Michael Sienkiewicz at (989) 774-3081.