SOUTH SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- More than 30 tires were slashed Sunday morning at a South Salt Lake City RV center, according to South Salt Lake City Police.
“It shocked me, I felt a little violated to be honest with you,” said Troy Bradley of Legacy RV, which is located on State Street. The business was vandalized around 2 a.m. Sunday.
A total of 36 tires were slashed, one window broken and one canvas torn. Many of the RVs are brand new. Bradley estimates the cost of damages are between $6,000 and $10,000.
“We’re not a big company, and every dollar counts, every customer counts, every trailer counts, so you have something like this, that messes up your game plan a little bit,” Bradley said.
Bradley said Memorial Day is their biggest sale of the year. They now have less than 48 hours to make the necessary repairs.
“You just sit there and say, 'why me?” he said.
Police said there is no telling how much more damage could have been done if it weren’t for a person driving by who saw the suspect smashing a window and immediately called police.
Police arrested 29-year-old Kenneth Benson of South Salt Lake City. He was booked on a number of charges, including criminal mischief, public intoxication and failing to stop at the command of law enforcement.
According to police, the suspect was spotted in the RV lot holding a knife. Police said he ran from them. Police were forced to use a Taser on the suspect in order to take him into custody.
Bradley is glad the passing driver was alert enough to spot the crime and report it to police.
“Whoever that is, I’d like them to come in so I can personally shake their hand,” Bradley said. “If this guy was progressively getting worse, who knows where we would have ended up.”
