A 57-year-old man is facing potential first-degree malicious mischief charges after he reportedly threw rocks that broke the windows of as many as 16 Des Moines businesses, including eight windows at the popular Anthony’s Homeport restaurant.
At about 10:17 p.m., Wednesday, April 12, Des Moines police responded to a report of a large rock being thrown through an exterior window at Anthony’s, 421 S 227th St., on the waterfront, according to initial appearance court documents.
Around 3:55 a.m. on Thursday, April 13, officers responded to another malicious incident at ABC Grocery, 22309 Seventh Ave. S. Subsequent exterior video surveillance showed a white male wearing a dark coat with a gray stripe across the back. The damaged window was at the front of the store, near the front doors. The approximate cost to replace a double-glazed window is $1,000.
As the morning hours wore on, officers responded to multiple reports of broken windows at local businesses, all within walking distance of downtown. Officers used video footage from the businesses to identify the man.
Other businesses hit by rocks thrown through windows included Bank of America, 707 S. 227th St. and Allstar Sports Bar, 22303 Marine View Dr. S.
An employee at Anthony’s called police and reported multiple windows were broken, according to court documents. The new damage consisted of a broken glass front door and two glass panels comprising windows on the opposite side of the building. There were three additional large panes of glass on the west side of the business that were broken with a large rock.
The restaurant manager told police that the windows on the west side were blacked out and double-glazed and very expensive to repair. He estimated the replacement cost at about $2,000 per window. Eight windows were broken.
The arrest
Around 11:37 a.m. April 13, a Des Moines public services employee radioed that she reportedly observed the same man seen in videos from businesses sitting at a computer terminal at the Des Moines Library, 21610 11th Ave. S. to court documents.
The officer recognized the man from her duties as a community service worker. The man reportedly had some of the same clothing seen in the videos hanging on the computer rack, including black and white Nike sneakers.
Police booked the man April 13 at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle, according to jail records.
Prosecutors argued at his initial court appearance on April 14 that bail should be set at $15,000 because of concerns for the safety of the community given the extensive damage caused, according to the King County Prosecutor’s Office. The court found probable cause for malicious mischief and set bail at $1,000.
As of April 14, the man remains in the county jail.
“We expect to receive the necessary paperwork from the Des Moines Police Department on Monday (April 17) for a formal decision to file charges,” according to Casey McNertney, a spokeswoman for the King County Prosecutor’s Office.
The Kent Reporter is not naming the man because he has not yet been formally charged. Court documents list his home address as a PO Box number in Des Moines.
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing [email protected].
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kenreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We will publish only your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.