Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested one man, Austin Todd Wilmers, age 22, and are seeking another following a vandalism spree in West Valley neighborhoods on August 27 and 28. Wilmers is charged with Criminal Damage – Defacing Property, a Class 5 felony.
Wilmers and an accomplice drove through neighborhoods shattering vehicle windows, slicing tires, and cutting fuel lines. Damages are approaching $5,000 and counting.
Wilmers and his accomplice began their destructive spree late on August 27 and continued overnight into August 28, targeting the streets of the Cortessa and White Tank Foothills communities in Waddell. They used a baseball bat to smash windows of vehicles parked in front of homes and a razor blade to slash tires and cut a fuel line. The two suspects then drove through the neighborhoods and threw rocks at cars. To do so, one of them stood up through the sunroof of Wilmers’ vehicle. Overall, 16 vehicles were damaged.
As car alarms sounded, witnesses came out of their homes and got a good description of the suspect vehicle including its license plate number. It was also was recorded on surveillance video. Investigators found the vehicle near Wilmers’ residence with a ball bat in plain view.
Detectives interviewed Wilmers and he admitted to the vandalism saying he was upset by a recent break-up with his girlfriend. He wrote a letter of apology to the victims saying in part”…I am sorry that because of my actions, your lives are now affected financially…”
Wilmers was booked into the 4th Avenue Jail, but his partner in this incident is believed to be a relative and has not yet been arrested.