Two more charged in Mt. Juliet vandalism spree

Mt. Juliet Police have arrested two more local teens in connection with last weekend's vandalism spree that left at least 70 vehicles and six residences damaged from marbles shot from high powered sling shots.

Mt. Juliet residents Chester Campbell III and Bobby Reynolds III, both 18, were each charged with three counts of felony vandalism. Thursday, Christopher Jones, 18, and Cassidy J. Baird, 19, also from Mt. Juliet, were charged one count each of felony vandalism and have since been charged with an additional two counts of felony vandalism.

According to Mt. Juliet Police Chief Ted Floyd, the additional charges were made after discussions between the district attorney's office and Mt. Juliet detectives.

"We are very proud of our lead investigator in this case, Det. Sgt. Greg Graves, and are very grateful for the excellent cooperation of the Wilson County detectives," Floyd said. "Their hard work allowed this case to be solved very quickly. Hopefully this will send a message to our young people that property damage of this magnitude is not a prank, and we will handle cases such as this very aggressively and they will be caught."
All four suspects will face other charges that will be presented to the Wilson County Grand Jury in the March term.

According to detectives, at least two of the teens told them the spree that took place in at least six Mt. Juliet and area subdivisions was a "prank that got out of hand."

All the cars targeted were sport utility vehicles and vans, and most had the windows shot out of them. Dozens of other vehicles were damaged outside the city limits. Police estimated the total damage to be up to $100,000.

Yesterday, Floyd said he believed these four are the only ones involved in this case.

Mt. Juliet Managing Editor Laurie Everett can be reached at 754-6397 or by e-mail at mtjulietnews@tds.net