A man is accused of smashing out the windows of three downtown Vancouver businesses with a skateboard Tuesday morning, causing extensive damage to an art gallery and supply shop.
Vancouver police were called at about 6:45 a.m. to the area of West Sixth and Columbia streets after a witness reported “a man broke into a vehicle with a skateboard and was now shattering windows at an art gallery,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
The man then went inside the Plaid Pantry, 514 Washington St., and stole a cigar and broke another window there. A photo from surveillance video at Plaid Pantry was given to officers, the affidavit states.
The suspect was located walking through traffic on the Interstate 5 Bridge and taken into custody, police department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said in an email.
Benjamin Scott Wilson, 41, no city of residence listed, was booked into the Clark County Jail on suspicion of first- and second-degree malicious mischief. He appeared on the allegations Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court, during which time his bail was set at $10,000, court records show.
According to the affidavit, the cost to repair or replace the window at Plaid Pantry is more than $750. The responding officer saw 10 broken windows at Geme Art, 209 W. Sixth St., and estimated it will cost more than $5,000 to repair or replace the windows. Another window was broken at Vata Salon & Spa next door at 205 W. Sixth St.
Jennifer Will, office manager for Geme Art, said the business remains open and is in the process of cleaning up the damage. But there’s no timeline for when the repairs will be completed.
“It wasn’t just one window; it was multiple windows, so we suffered a lot of damage,” she said. “We’re just doing what we can right now.”
Reporter Zoë Buhrmaster contributed to this story.
Source: https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/aug/18/vandal-smashes-windows-at-three-vancouver-businesses/