Pa Kids Flip Bulldozer, Vandalize Heavy Equipment

April 24, 2011
A 12-year-old and a 9-year-old caused about $164,000 in damage to a strip mining operation in Greene County on Thursday evening, according to a state police report.

MONONGAHELA TOWNSHIP, Pa. --

A 12-year-old and a 9-year-old caused about $164,000 in damage to a strip mining operation in Greene County on Thursday evening, according to a state police report.

Police said the children vandalized equipment at a strip mining site along State Route 88 in Dillner, Monongahela Township, between 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

The children drove a large excavator about 400 to 500 yards and used it to flip a bulldozer, causing about $150,000 in damage, according to the report.

They also smashed out the windows on another bulldozer by throwing rocks through them, causing about $3,000 in damage, police said.

Investigators said the children depleted 10 fire extinguishers on the inside and outside of every piece of equipment, spraying them inside the cabs and into the radiator ports. Police estimated the damage at about $100 per fire extinguisher and $10,000 to replace a radiator on a large dump truck.

The 12-year-old boy was charged with felony criminal mischief.

The 9-year-old was not charged because they are under the age of culpability for the crime, which is 10, police said.

Copyright 2011 by WTAE. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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