A 17-year-old male will be charged by complaint summons with criminal damage to property.

Wednesday, August 23, 2000

A 17-year-old male will be charged by complaint summons with criminal damage to property.

The youth allegedly fired 25 paint balls at a house and spray-painted a front door in retaliation against another individual.

However, he picked the wrong house.

According to an Austin Police Department report, Jorge Saenz, 31 of 817 Second Ave. NE, called police near 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to report finding 11 hits by yellow paint balls on his house.

He told police, a gray Ford Taurus with several occupants was seen driving by the residence.

A short while later, Saenz called police a second time to report the same auto returned and drove by his home.

When he investigated, he discovered 15 more paint ball hits on his house, plus the letters "SS" spray-painted on his front door in black paint.

An officer reported other encounters with the driver of a car matching the description and went to the owner’s home.

The owner, an adult female, said her son had taken her car without permission.

When the car was located later Tuesday evening, the woman’s son was the lone occupant and a can of black spray paint was discovered in plain sight in the auto.

The youth admitted spray-painting and firing many yellow paint balls at the Saenz house by mistake. He was targeting the vandalism for another male acquaintance, who used to live at the same residence, according to the report.

The youth said he threw his paint ball gun in an alleyway at the Mower County Fairgrounds, but denied there were other individuals with him at the time of the vandalism.

Man threatens assault

Scott F. Schwering, 29 of 804 Second Ave. SW, faces second degree assault charges after he allegedly threatened two people with a knife.

Billy Lee Wright, 19, and Rhonda Jensen, also 19, came to the Austin-Mower County Law Enforcement Center Tuesday evening to report the incident.

According to Wright and Jensen, Schwering allegedly pointed a knife with a three inch blade at Wright and threatened to stab him. He dropped the knife when he was distracted, and Wright picked it up and took it with him to the LEC.

No one was injured in the incident, according to the Austin Police Department report.

Officers subdue woman

Joanna Cassidy, 53 of 1004 Second Ave. NW, was arrested Tuesday and charged with felony terroristic threats.

According to an Austin Police Department report, an unidentified woman was in the neighborhood to pick up a child at a babysitter, when Cassidy yelled threats from her front porch.

An Austin police officer responded to the complaint and Cassidy threatened him. When a second officer arrived and the pair attempted to take Cassidy into custody, she resisted.

In the melee, she struck one of the officers in the face, causing a cut on the forehead.

She was finally subdued and taken to the stress center at Austin Medical Center – Mayo Health System, where she is being held for evaluation.