Vandals cause havoc for Highland Park residents

What started as a string of alleyway fires a few weeks ago expanded this weekend into a crime spree in Highland Park.

Several residents have complained about all manner of petty crimes occurring, including graffiti, smashed windshields and some theft.

Pete Federspiel, an officer with the Tri-Agency Task Force, posted a photo of a graffiti tag on his own house on the Havre Online Yard Sale Facebook group, offering a $100 reward for the identity of the person who made him have to repaint the wall.

The post gathered 62 comments by this morning, mostly from neighbors expressing similar complaints and planning to take the matter into their own hands.

Penny Velk wrote in the comments that a prior attempt at organizing a neighborhood watch had been rained out but that they would try again at 6:30 p. m. today in Optimist Park.

Jacquese Rasmussen reported seeing "a guy with a can of spray paint by the yellow apartments by the middle school. "

Havre Middle School was also vandalized early last Thursday morning, which led to a summons being issued to a 16-year-old Havre boy.

A dispatcher at the police department said that both Chief Kirk Fitch and Assistant Chief Gabe Matosich were out all week at a conference, and that the department could not release any information right now, as it is still investigating.

Federspiel posted a comment saying he had called the department and they told him they were going to be increasing patrols in Highland Park.