A case of vandalism... created an environmental concern after someone hot-wired an excavator and sent it into the woods.
Drew Mikkelsen, KING 6:46 PM. PDT June 28, 2016
LEWIS COUNTY, Wash. -- Lewis County investigators are looking for vandals who hot-wired an excavator and sent it down a ravine in the backyard of a rural county home.
Over the weekend Margery and Marshall Murray hired Derrick’s Tree Service to cut down more than a dozen dead or dying trees on their property.
Crews rented an excavator from Chehalis Rentals to help remove the trees.
When staff from the rental company came to retrieve the excavator Monday morning, they found it approximately 100 feet down a ravine.
It had rolled onto its side.
Investigators said vandals tied the controls to make it drive forward without an operator.
The spill team from the state’s Department of Ecology said diesel spilled out of the excavator into a creek and a nearby pond.
Ron Holcomb with Ecology said no more than 20 gallons of fuel was spilled.
“It isn’t good to mess with other people’s property,” said Margery Murray, who watched crews pull the excavator back up to level ground behind her home Tuesday afternoon.
Chehalis Rentals, the owners of the excavator, are offering a $3,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the vandal or vandals.
Copyright 2016 KING