Nail damage sparks investigation

Police suspect vandalism after reports of at least 18 vehicles with punctured tires
By 
JOE POIRIER
Ozaukee Press Staff

At least 18 vehicles have been damaged by nails on the roadways in the Village of Grafton. 

“We are fairly certain that it is malicious because it’s too far widespread and too frequent for this to be accidental, like something falling off of a truck. It’s creating quite an annoyance for people, that’s for certain,” Grafton Police Chief Emmett Grissom said, noting reports of nails discovered on village streets have been received for at least two weeks.

Grissom said eight people have filed reports, and the department has received 16 calls about nails being found in highly trafficked areas.

Grissom said he is unsure if there is more than one suspect because there is no surveillance video available. 

“We are investigating and checking with area hardware stores, as well, to see if they may have someone coming in to buy an exorbitant amount of roofing nails,” he said.

“We do have some possibilities for surveillance footage that we are working on, but nothing at this time is definite.”

Grissom said officers are frequently patrolling the roads where nails have been discovered. Many occurrences have been in the area of Wichita Lane between Blackhawk Drive and 17th Avenue. 

Other areas of reported incidents include:

• 1400 block of 12th Avenue;

• South Green Bay and Falls roads;

• South Green Bay Road and 12th Avenue;

• Hickory Street and Ninth Avenue;

• Hickory Street and Eighth Avenue;

• Wisconsin Avenue and Bridge Street;

• Wisconsin and Ninth avenues; 

• 1500 block of Wisconsin Avenue;

• Columbia Road and First Avenue;

• 400 to 600 blocks of Falls Road;

• Cheyenne Avenue and Cheyenne Court;

• 1800 to 2200 blocks of Washington Street.

Grissom said the Grafton Public Works Department is cleaning the affected areas with a high-powered magnet during the day and officers will clear the streets at night.

This week, Grafton Midas Owner Jim Glaser said he repaired 11 vehicles on Monday and had seven more to fix as of Tuesday morning. He said he is plugging tires free of charge, a job that typically costs about $30.

“It’s the least we can do to help innocent people who may be out of work due to Covid-19,” Glaser said. “I’m just trying to do what these people would do for me. It’s rewarding for me to help.”

Glaser said he has seen nails ranging in length from 1 to 1.25 inches, including roofing nails and sheet-metal nails typically found at construction sites.

He said that if a nail is discovered in a tire, drivers should not remove it before driving to a repair shop because the tire will go flat.

 

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Ozaukee Press

Wisconsin’s largest paid circulation community weekly newspaper. Serving Port Washington, Saukville, Grafton, Fredonia, Belgium, as well as Ozaukee County government. Locally owned and printed in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

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