Dried egg damages car paint and can cause private property destruction that can result in as much as $250 in damages - grounds for felony charges, with penalties including the revocation of drivers licenses for a full year.

By Kristen Levine

A series of egging incidents  over the last few weeks have left Lunenburg property owners angry and frustrated. Police are investigating multiple cases, and perpetrator(s) have the potential to be charged with a three-year felony.

    On August 28, egging incidences were reported on Elmwood Road, Massachusetts Avenue, Lancaster Avenue, White Street and Prospect Street. All of these incidence reports stated that parked vehicles had been the targets.

    On September 2, there were two incidences on White Street and one report on Townsend Harbor Road. The caller who reported the incident on Townsend Harbor Road claimed that this was the third time within the past year that he had been egged.

    “I’m worried it’s going to happen again,” said vandalism victim Bill Cassidy. “I check every morning to make sure it hasn’t happened again.”

    Corrine Scouten, another victim of the seemingly random defacement, echoes these frustrations.
    “It’s annoying,” she said. “I’m angry because it could damage my car…I catch it early enough and I can clean it off, but if the sun baked it on it would probably damage the paint.” 

   
    While egging of cars and property seems like a harmless if not extremely annoying prank, the consequences for such vandalism are very serious. Dried egg damages car paint and can cause private property destruction that can result in as much as $250 in damages - grounds for felony charges, with penalties including the revocation of drivers licenses for a full year.

    “We’re talking to [local] stores about it,” said Lunenburg Police Chief James Marino. “We’ve had reports from stores about kids coming in late at night and buying a lot of eggs, so we’ve told them to be aware of that. If they think it is necessary, they’re to report it to us.”

    Martino said the egging problem is not a new one for Lunenburg.

    “It’s been going on forever. It happens constantly. It just so happens that it comes in spurts like this behind everyone’s awareness; sometimes we have one and then nothing for three weeks,” said Marino. “This time [referring to last week’s rash of incident reports] there were several right in a row – they even got a police car, the one parked in front of the high school with the speed trailer.”

    Marino hopes that the community will step up to report the vandals, keeping watch on their property and reporting drive-by eggings by noting license plate numbers.

    “Property doesn’t talk,” he said. “You don’t have witnesses as you would with crimes against a person. We rely heavily on people to report these things, should it necessitate a phone call. Don’t hesitate. Grab a plate number and call it in immediately.”