YAKIMA, WA — Surveillance footage recorded at Classic Car Wash clearly showed the face and tag number of a customer that caused $5,000 worth of damage, but local police said it still isn’t an open-and-shut case, KIMA reported.
The Oct. 5 story stated that the customer, angry with a machine that took his money, grabbed a tool from his trunk and smashed the cashier’s computer screen. Armed with video footage of the customer responsible, owner Dixi Withrow thought prosecution would soon follow.
Vandalism spree costs detailer thousands
Instead, police told her the man likely will not be prosecuted because he has an out-of-state tag. This means the alleged vandal would have to be extradited to Washington after arrest.
“Does that mean that any time someone commits a crime in our valley, and if they live in another state, they can’t be pursued?” Withrow asked in the story.
Hit-and-run vandals destroy a self-serve wash
Even when provided with sufficient evidence, county prosecutors must still decide if it is worth the expense to track down a vandal. This is frustrating to Withrow who knows the customer may get away with a felony.
For a business that operates on quarters, the destroyed screen is a large expense. That is why Withrow had a surveillance system installed, to protect the wash’s expensive machinery that is accessible 24 hours a day.
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