Seven stores vandalized in Plains

Seven businesses on Main Street in Plains were vandalized late

Monday night. The businesses each had varying degrees of damage on

the outside of their storefronts.

Seven businesses on Main Street in Plains were vandalized late Monday night. The businesses each had varying degrees of damage on the outside of their storefronts. Colyer Oil, Rocky Mountain Bank, Coldwell Banker, Mountain West Clothing, Garden Gift and Floral, the Mint Casino and High Plains Bar and Grill each saw some degree of vandalism upon arriving to start the work day early Tuesday morning. According to Plains Police Chief Shawn Emmett, Officer Noah Hawthorne discovered the crime early Tuesday morning at around 1:40 a.m. when he saw a garbage can knocked over and a chair from High Plains Bar and Grill thrown into the street and began questioning people following these sightings. Pamela Lynch, owner of Garden Gift and Floral was the first business owner to report the crime to the Plains Police Department Tuesday morning. Garden Gift and Floral had flower arrangements destroyed outside of their business as a result of the vandalism. Most of the damages came from broken flower pots and décor set up outside of the businesses. Emmett said he knows who the perpetrator is and once the damages are totaled the suspect will be charged with the crime. A list of video surveillance evidence from Garden Gift and Floral, Colyer Oil and a clear picture of the suspect tearing down a banner from the Mint Casino's security camera led police to identify the suspect. The videos showed a white male, dressed in a white long sleeve shirt and dark trousers and facial hair moving from business to business committing various acts of vandalism. While reviewing footage from Colyer Oil, Emmett said one of the clerks identified the suspect by their first name, along with friends of the subject in question. "(The suspect's) friend's girlfriend came in and I inquired to the subject and we found out more detail about this individual. From those details I know that we've had past dealings with this person with a criminal mischief complaint so that's how I know what the suspect's last name is," said Emmett. Emmett said they will make an arrest and charge their known suspect once they have compiled the amount of damages from all the businesses. This compilation of damages is necessary in order to determine whether or not the suspect will be charged with a felony or misdemeanor. Pecuniary damages greater than $1,500 can result in a felony charge based on Montana state law. "This person does have a prior criminal mischief charge from 2008, and I do know who it is and he will be getting charges," said Emmett.