A vandalism spree in St. Albans this weekend has left residents cleaning up. Victims say it's not just an expensive nuisance, but a black eye on the whole community.
"It's not normal, by any stretch of the imagination," said Adam DesLauriers, who spent more than four hours Saturday scouring the floor at the Blooming Minds Enrichment Center, a St. Albans daycare. "The last thing you want is to send a kid home with a piece of glass in the foot or a cut or stitches because there's a piece of glass on the ground."
The glass was on the ground because sometime Friday night or early Saturday vandals smashed eight windows at the center, which is attached to the Congregational Church -- for no apparent reason at all.
"It was a mess," DesLauriers said. He did all he could to protect the children, then learned others were in the same position. A window at the neighboring Superior Court was bashed in, along with three at another church.
Vandals also used a bb gun to destroy the windows of seven parked cars and a home. Police say they're not seeing more vandalism this year than before, but that it is unusual to have so many crimes in one night. "This type of activity not only affects the individuals but affects the community at large, and it reflects negatively on our community," said St. Albans Police Sgt. Joseph Thomas.
