How to be a vandal 101: Disguise yourself. Wear gloves. Don't get caught on tape.
But most of all, know who you're messing with.
The young man who broke into Confidential Investigations early Friday and spray-painted the foyer of the Hayden business didn't just break the law, he did it poorly.
Investigator Phil Thompson said the footage captured by the firm's security cameras had the entire office laughing. The motion-activated camera kicked on about 5 a.m. Friday after a wine bottle was thrown through the front window of the lobby, which is shared with an accountant.
"I was very surprised when I saw the hand coming in," Thompson said, laughing. "No gloves."
The intruder reached through the window, a note in hand.
He hesitated, then stepped inside.
Oblivious to the camera recording his every move, the intruder got busy spray-painting profanities on the door and sign of the business. He paused, then looked up directly into the lens.
"When he looked at the camera, all of us busted out laughing," owner Erin Jenkins said.
The vandal tried to spray-paint the camera lens with red paint but couldn't reach, Jenkins said. He dropped the can - covered in fingerprints - walked out through the broken window, and threw the note inside.
Judging from the note, Jenkins and his employees surmise the vandal was someone who wasn't happy with something their investigators uncovered.
"If you will convict the innocent to get to your client's wallet you will go to hell!!!" the handwritten note said in all capital letters.
ON THE WEB: For a link to video footage of the break-in, go to this story online at spokesmanreview.com.
