North Water street in Edgartown was a scene of shattered glass, kicked-in fences, smashed Christmas light bulbs, beer bottles and cans strewn through front lawns Friday morning after vandals damaged and destroyed property in the stately neighborhood of old whaling captain homes Thursday night.
The vandalism spree was connected to what police believe was a house party at a home on North Water street involving teens from off-Island.
Two teens were later arrested and charged with 13 counts of damaging or defacing property, a felony, Edgartown police said.
Police chief Bruce McNamee said his department received a complaint early Friday morning after a dog walker noticed some damage. Officers canvassed the area and found that at least 14 properties and five town-owned lampposts had been vandalized. In a press release issued later, police listed damaged property found on North Water, Morse and Cottage streets.
At a home at 86 North Water street, police found the back door open and damaged and a back window broken. Police said it appeared there had been a party there the night before.
“Just about every horizontal surface in there has some kind of Solo cup or bottle of some kind on it,” Chief McNamee said.
He said police found a dozen or so minors in the house, including the 16-year-old daughter of the homeowner. Most were from Greenwich, Conn., police said. There were no adults in the house at the time, they said.
After an investigation and interviews, police arrested Gavin Scotti 3rd, 18, of Greenwich, Conn., and a 17-year-old male whose name is being withheld because he is a juvenile.
The rest of the group was scheduled to leave the Island on a chartered jet Friday, the chief said. The two males, whose names have not been released, were held in the Edgartown house of correction Friday morning before appearing in Edgartown district court. Because there was no sitting judge, both were released pending further appearances in court.
Chief McNamee said the house party is under investigation. He asked that any property owners who think damage to their home might have been overlooked contact the Edgartown police department. He also asked that homeowners with security cameras review footage from about four in the morning and look for two young white males to aid in the investigation.
Police said more charges may be sought.
Comments (19)
Comments
Comment policy »