Vandal rampage causes $100,000 damage

Scott Liber, one of the owners of Goody's on Lewis Avenue, inspects the damage to vehicles in his lot. The windows, headlights, and gauges of 80 to 90 buses, trucks, and other vehicles were damaged in a vandalism spree that resulted in an estimated $100,000 damage. The family business buys and sells used vehicles and recycles them for parts.

Scott Liber pulled into a storage yard where his family parks two-ton and larger vehicles they sell and recycle yesterday and saw some glass on the ground.

When he looked around, he found shattered glass throughout the 10-acre site in North Toledo.

Eighty to 90 buses, trucks, and other vehicles, including a fire truck, sustained about $100,000 damage during a weekend vandalism spree at Goody's, 5439 Lewis Ave., police and Mr. Liber said. The damage includes broken windows, windshields, headlights, and gauges.

"We'll either have to repair [the vehicles] or sell them for less money. Now we'll have parts, not a complete vehicle," said Mr. Liber, one of the owners, as detectives searched for evidence, such as fingerprints, and items used to break the windows, such as fire extinguishers.

Police said the vandals may have entered the property by peeling up a side fence and going under it.

About a third of the vehicles on the property were damaged. Some graffiti was spray-painted on them. Nothing appeared to have been stolen, Mr. Liber said.

One of the damaged buses was going to be sold on eBay after its heater was repaired. The business sells vehicles all over the world, and several of the damaged ones recently were sold for $4,000 to $6,000 each. A few were destined for Mexico and Guatemala, Mr. Liber said.

"It's very immature to do something to a good business owner," police Sgt. Richard Murphy said.

The third-generation family business buys and sells used vehicles and recycles them for parts, such as motors. Mr. Liber, his brother, and father own the business, which began in 1939. The site where the vandalism occurred has been open about six years.

Mr. Liber said the business does not have security cameras, but that and other security changes will be made after the crime spree.