Vandals tag Milton, Colchester

By NATHAN LAMB | Milton Independent Staff Writer
miltonreporter@yahoo.com

Lamoille Terrace in Milton is a quiet and close-knit neighborhood; the type of place that bright red graffiti advising to “live or kill yourself” is sure to get noticed.

That’s what Ed and Laurie Darling discovered last Sunday morning, when several neighbors on the street checked on them after seeing that disturbing message scrawled across a wall of their porch.

The Darlings turned out to be fine, but they were quickly unhappy with what they saw.

“Live or kill yourself” was the message left by vandals last weekend at the Darling household on Lamoille Terrace. The incident, which is currently under investigation, is one of several involving red paint that took place in Milton and Colchester on either Saturday night or Sunday morning.

“I was surprised and just really hurt that someone actually walked onto my lawn and destroyed part of my house,” said Laurie. “It just makes your blood pressure rise a little bit.”

The Darlings initially thought they were the target of some personal grudge, but were quickly informed by police of similar incidents across town and in Colchester. In all, eight incidents of vandalism were reported on Dec. 2, said Police Chief Brett Van Noordt. Red paint was a common thread in all of the crimes, which were concentrated in two distinct areas of Milton.

One cluster centered on the high school, where vandals wrote “Go Sea Horses” on the back of the building. Also hit in that area was the Darling's porch, a house on Edwards St., and a vehicle on Riverside Dr. The other grouping was on Andrea Lane, where two cars and two garage doors were hit.

A pair of households in Colchester reported similar incidents on Dec. 2, confirmed Colchester Police Lt. Douglas Allen. The victims live on North Harbor Road and Clay Point Roads, and each reported being hit with rude messages in red paint, he said. Both roads are just south of West Milton.
While the incidents remain under investigation, Van Noordt. said a couple of things are already apparent.

“It’s very clear that it’s the same person or persons, and there’s a considerable amount of damage that makes this a priority for the Milton Police Department and the Police Department,” he said. “If anybody has any information we’d encourage them to call us, or they can call crime stoppers and they don’t have to leave their name.”

None of the incidents exceeded the $1,000 threshold for felony unlawful mischief charges, but the vandals will likely face multiple misdemeanor counts if apprehended, added Van Noordt.

In any event, vandalism on the Darling’s porch remains clearly visible to passing motorists on nearby Brandy Lane. While the family can’t wait to get rid of it, they’re holding-off in case the police need it as evidence.

In the meantime, Darling said the neighborhood response to this seemingly random act of vandalism has helped re-affirm why she likes living on Lamoille Terrace.

“I’ve had neighbors call and tell us they’re sorry for what happened to our house, like it was a person.” She said. “It’s just a great neighborhood with people who respect each other and the property of others, and obviously someone else didn’t.”