ELLENVILLE – Officers with the Ellenville Police Department have hopefully put an end to a string of acts of vandalism that have plagued the village for two months on Sunday, September 27, when seven kids between the ages of nine and thirteen were arrested.

"We received a call from a resident on Siegel Drive stating that their solar lights had just been damaged, and that there were juveniles running down the road that had done it," said Police Chief Phil Mattracion last Friday. "The police department responded very quickly. The officers were able to observe the suspects running, they were able to catch up to them, and they were able to get about five of them. They were all brought to the station, and during the course of the investigation, we received some other calls of houses that had just been gone through.

"The doors were unlocked in every case," added the chief. The two other suspects were arrested during the investigation. All told, the ages of those arrested were nine, ten, eleven, twelve, and three thirteen-year-olds.

Apparently, the vandals had been checking doors of residences throughout the village and entering them to spray paint walls, tagging them with the words "4 Block" — a reference to a group that had been busted by the URGENT Drug Task Force a few years ago — "Red Flag," and "White Flag."

Other acts of vandalism included spray painting sidewalks, walls, and vehicles; breaking car and bus windows throughout the village; breaking windows at the Ellenville Post Office; breaking windows and vandalizing the Church Street School; damage to the building and lights of the sewer pump station on Roslyn Street; and stealing hats, gloves, and spray paint from Dollar General — the list goes on.

"We found a lot of physical evidence, including spray paint on the individuals' hands and clothes, and we actually went back and found the cans of red spray paint that they had," said Chief Mattracion. "The damage is estimated to be in the thousands from these seven individuals.

"The sad part is that a week prior to this we had picked up two of these kids and charged them with some of the criminal mischief, and they're still following through on other criminal mischief. It's some of the same kids doing some of the same stuff," he added, noting that two of those arrested were on probation already.

Altogether, the juveniles were charged with several counts of the following: criminal mischief in the fourth degree, criminal mischief in the third degree, burglary in the second degree, petit larceny, and charges of making graffiti and possessing graffiti-making materials. Only one, the eleven-year-old, was charged with one count of graffiti, burglary, and petit larceny.

"We are, obviously, extremely concerned about the wanton disregard that these individuals had for personal property of other people," said the chief. "And the fact that they would, in broad daylight, check doors and just open doors, and wander in the house and cause damage, without any sense of remorse or concern for their own safety…it could've been a very dangerous situation here…the owners, in an attempt to defend themselves, and rightfully so under the law, could've taken necessary action to defend themselves against a burglary being committed. There was a justification of force there, and it could've been deadly physical force."

In response to the crimes, Chief Mattracion has drafted a letter in conjunction with the Ellenville Board of Trustees asking that an extra fine be levied against the defendants should they be found guilty to try and recoup the costs expended by the police department during the investigation amid an already thinly-stretched budget.

The chief estimated that about twenty man-hours were used during the investigation, costing the village taxpayers about $1,000, though he had yet to calculate a total figure.

But no matter what the outcome, Chief Mattracion is disturbed by the events in the first place, and the seeming lack of concern some of the perpetrators had for what they had done.

"What would make seven children between nine and thirteen go out and do something like this?" he asks. "And think it was funny? During the interviews, I was told by the investigators that two or three kids laughed about this — laughed about the extensive damage that they caused."

The seven were all issued tickets to appear in Ulster County Family Court on Wednesday, October 14, at 10 a.m.