A 30-year-old Bemidji woman was cited for criminal property damage and charges are pending against a 22-year-old male accomplice after Bemidji Police officers caught one vandal running from a freshly spray-painted wall.
At 4:25 a.m., Thursday, an officer spotted the 30-year-old woman running from behind Bemidji Management Company to an idling car. The officer noticed blue spray paint that was still wet on the wall of the business that read, "Do not rent here," along with other statements that included accusations and profane language.
The officer confronted the woman who was inside a car along with the 22-year-old Bemidji man. According to a report from Bemidji Police Department, the defendant had blue paint on her index finger. A can of blue paint was also discovered in the car.
The woman was a former employee of the business, according to the report.
She is scheduled to appear in Beltrami County District Court Feb. 28. Charges are pending against the 22-year-old male after he later admitted to a separate act of vandalism.
ADVERTISEMENT
At 5:48 a.m. Thursday, a man in the 1100 block of Dewey Avenue reported that his car had been covered in blue and black spray paint.
The vandalism contained Swastikas, racial slurs and profanity, according to the report.
The responding officer called the woman he had cited earlier, and she told the officer that the 22-year-old had painted the car in an act of revenge.
Blue paint samples from the vandalized vehicle and building were sent to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for analysis, according to the report.
Charges are expected to be filed against the 22-year-old after the damage to the vehicle has been estimated.
