Trail of BB Gun Damage Stretches from Racine into Mount Pleasant

Police in and the City of Racine took reports over the weekend from three dozen residents about damages to vehicles and even some homes caused by BB or pellet gun-wielding vandals.

Sgt. Eric Relich from MPPD confirmed that his department received 24 reports between Saturday and early morning Monday of cars and trucks with their windows shot out. Some owners also reported damage to their homes.

In Racine, Sgt. Martin Pavalonis said his department has 12 reports, all vehicle damage, from roughly the same time period.

As of Monday, there had been no arrests.

"This is an ongoing situation, still under investigation," Relich told Patch Monday. "We're following up on any leads we get."

Pavalonis said his department is reviewing reports and it does seem like a BB gun or pellet gun was used to cause the damage.

"Judging from the damage, it looks like a person or persons came by these residences and used a BB gun or pellet gun to shoot at cars," he said.

One report in Racine is of a slashed tire; while that report doesn't fit the similarities from the other incidents, when it happened fits the time frame of the other crimes, Pavalonis added.

Matthew Sepanski lives in the Regency Hills neighborhood in Mount Pleasant. He said he called police early Saturday morning when he discovered the windows of his daughter's car had been shot out. While he's concerned about the damage to the car, of course, what matters more to him is lack of visible officers to prevent such crimes in the first place.

"The number of officers we have in our department hasn't changed in 12 years, but the village just keeps growing," he said. "There aren't enough police on patrol, and our officers are doing the best they can with what they have."

Sepanski took his concerns to Trustee Karen Albeck who said she shares residents' concerns.

"This isn't the first time I've heard from residents in Regency Hills. I share their concerns and have since before I was elected as a trustee," she said. "Protective services is an area I have advocated for additional support in every budget since I was elected to the board."

Unfortunately, Albeck added, instead of budget talks centered around adding officers and replacing aging squad cars, conversation often turns into debate about how to not reduce current staffing.

Sepanski is rallying his neighbors to attend the Sept. 10 Village Board meeting so they can tell trustees it's time to hire more officers and invest properly in protective services.

"Crime is escalating and the criminals know there aren't enough police riding around," he said. "Our tax base is growing in business and residential so that money should go to protective services."

Kim Traxinger also lives in the Regency Hills neighborhood, and she said on Facebook that she woke up Monday to find the back window of her husband's car smashed by what appeared to be a shot from a BB gun. She is urging her neighbors to keep their cars in their garages, if possible.

"If you have the option of parking your car in the garage, do it. (The suspects) will most likely keep returning until they're caught," she noted. "So thankful they only got one of our vehicles."

If anyone has information about these crimes, they can leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers of Racine County by calling 888-636-9330, submitting a tip online, or text messaging: RACS to 274637(CRIMES).