Local businesses vandalized Thursday night
A local consignment store had six of its windows shot out sometime between 5:30 p.m. on Thursday and 10 a.m. on Friday morning.
“We closed about 5:30 (on Thursday), and we know the windows were OK at 5:30. Then I got (to the store) at about 10 this morning, and they were all broken,” State Street Trading Company store owner Rhetta Schmitt said.
The windows of the business, located at 35 W. State St., were made of double paned glass, and only the first layer was broken. While they will still have to be replaced, the inside of the store was not exposed to the elements. According to Schmitt, police officers at the scene told her the windows were most likely shot with a BB gun or an Airsoft gun.
Captain Brian Batterson of the Marshalltown Police Department said similar acts of vandalism occurred at other businesses in Marshalltown overnight, as windows at the Emerson headquarters on South Center Street and Scooter’s Coffee were also broken. Additionally, the vandal or vandals shot at a local house and damaged the siding. Prior to the overnight incident, Emerson also had a window shot at early Thursday afternoon around 2 p.m. when employees were still inside of the building.
Batterson said the police department has a possible vehicle description from Emerson’s security cameras, but they are not releasing it at this time. The investigation is ongoing, and no criminal charges have been filed.
The State Street Trading Company building owners are offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for shooting out the windows. Anyone with relevant information should contact Marshall County Crime Stoppers at (641) 753-1234.