Drywall screws thrown on roads in Watonwan County
Information is being sought on vandals suspected on intentionally tossing hundreds of drywall screws on roads in Watonwan County over the past month.
According to Watonwan County Sheriff Gary Menssen, “about 20 dozen of these screws were found on Minnesota State Highway #60 between St. James and Butterfield, more on the #60 detour between Butterfield and Mountain Lake and on Watonwan County Highway #4.”
Motorists driving over the screws led to many tires being pierced and flattened – and having to be patched. In fact, the Mountain Lake Ambulance had a flat tire while on a call.
Between the Watonwan County Sheriff’s Office and the state of Minnesota, the roadways are being cleared of any remaining screws using a road grader equipped with a large magnet.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Watonwan Sheriff’s Office at 507-375-3121. Watonwan County officials are offering a $500 reward for the arrest of vandals.
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COMMENT
Nicholas Cicale
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By Nicholas Cicale
Posted Jul. 9, 2015 at 12:04 PM
Portions of roads and highways in Watonwan County have been intentionally littered with thousands of drywall screws, causing a large number of flat tires over the past month. Tuesday, the Watonwan County Sheriff’s Office offered a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the parties responsible.
“Evidently, it started happening in April on County Road 10, but we first heard about it three weeks ago,” said Gary Menssen, Watonwan County Sheriff. “It’s spread to Highway 4, and now on Highway 60 between [St.James] and Butterfield.”
According to Menssen, Don’s Tire patched 70 tires in a four-day span last week. Normally, the shop repairs an average of three tires a day. Olsen Truck Service Center off Highway 60, as well as Andy’s Auto Repair in Butterfield and shops in Mt. Lake, have also seen a continual increase in flat tires since April.
