Newspaper racks destroyed in S. Lake Tahoe
By Kathryn Reed
Vandals have caused more than $5,000 worth of damage to newspaper racks in South Lake Tahoe and Meyers.
The two culprits have been caught on video, though positive identification has yet to be made.
“Every three to five years this happens, but this is the biggest damage that has happened,” Steve Anderson, who owns South Tahoe Newspaper Agency, told Lake Tahoe News. “They have some type of bar they are using. They put it between the door and racks. It’s about 4-feet-long.”
San Francisco Chronicle and Sacramento Bee racks are being targeted. The South Lake company, which has been operating since 1961, also handles the Reno Gazette-Journal, USA Today and Wall Street Journal racks.
Anderson is collecting the money from the racks each night, so the reward hasn’t been much for the thieves.
But the loss has been big for Anderson in other ways. Each of the 13 boxes that have been destroyed costs about $400. This type of box is no longer made so he will either have to refurbish old ones or take the sales of the papers into the businesses.
The vandals on Thursday and Friday hit racks at Ernie’s, Bert’s, Getaway Café, Tahoe Keys Liquor, Rite-Aid, Red Hut at Ski Run Boulevard, and Raley’s near Stateline.
Anderson said the two are driving a blue compact vehicle, and that they are middle-aged white men. The police are analyzing the video for a better description.
Anderson is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for the vandalism. Anyone with information, should call the South Lake Tahoe Police Department at 530.542.6100.
That bar should be used on their heads. Idiots!!
Steve Anderson, I hope they catch these creeps breaking into the newspaper racks.
OLS, class of 1972, STHS.
Make ’em pay. Obviously education didn’t work on these guys, so punishment is the answer.
I’m no lawyer, but I’m pretty sure that selectively destroying the distribution boxes of specific news outlets while ignoring others is likely a hate crime, well beyond a simple charge of vandalism.
I can’t help but think about the hatred exhibited on so many internet news forums and wonder if this particularly virulent form of “free” speech has, in this instance, come full circle and begun physically attacking the physical outlets for print journalism.
Maybe they can’t read the instructions on how to actually get the newspaper out by simply dropping in a few quarters.??
Dumb and dumber !
Happened in Pollock Pines as well
Thieves busted the locks off multiple coin-operated newspaper racks, including those belonging to the Mountain Democrat, San Francisco Chronicle and Sacramento Bee, in the early morning hours of July 11.
Racks affected include those in front of the Pollock Pines Post Office on Sanders Drive, in front of the Valero gas station on Pony Express Trail in Pollock Pines and at Kathy’s Kitchen restaurant on Pony Express Trail in Pollock Pines. Racks in Cool and Coloma were also burglarized.
“Law enforcement has been notified and will investigate the theft and be watching for future occurrences,” said Gerry Ulm, Mountain Democrat circulation manager. “Since we so frequently unload the deposited money from our newspaper vending machines, not much change was stolen.”
El Dorado County sheriff’s investigators have no suspects at this time. If anyone has any information about the thefts, call the Sheriff’s Department at (530) 621-5655.
This has Meth head low life’s written all over it. Meth heads will do anything for their next fix.
If we could see a picture of the suspects, perhaps as citizens we could report them.