AUGUSTA — A city man and his teenage accomplice have been charged with criminal mischief in connection with about 40 cases of tire slashing, police said.

Dennis Morton, 19, and his accomplice, an unidentified 16-year-old boy, both of Augusta, were charged after they were caught in the act Saturday night, according to a news release Monday from Deputy Chief Jared Mills of the Augusta Police Department.

Mills said the vandalism had been occurring citywide and multiple reports of motor vehicle tires being slashed had come to police in recent days. Augusta police worked over the weekend to track down suspects, culminating in the apprehension Saturday night, Mills said.

Both Morton and the teenager, whose name was not released, were charged with 18 counts of criminal mischief related to vehicle damage across the city. They were both also charged with a count of theft and a count of criminal mischief connected damaged stolen property.

“This a crime spree that would have continued if it weren’t for the coordinated effort that stopped these two suspects in their tracks,” Mills said in the release.

Mills asked that anyone whose vehicle tires have been slashed in Augusta in recent days to report the case to Augusta police at 626-2370.


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