(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
NINE MILE FALLS, Wash. -There's a call to action from people in Nine Mile Falls to catch whoever is throwing things at moving cars. Stevens County Sheriff's deputies say they've been hearing from multiple people along Highway 291 near Tumtum that tell them their drive home no longer feels safe.
“I am surprised that I didn't drive off the road," said Amy Martin who lives in Nine Mile Falls. Martin and her husband are both still thinking about what happened over a week ago. They were on their way home from a night of celebrating their new truck they just bought three hours before but as they were driving, they heard a loud noise. "Just this bang hit the front of the windshield and we were like, ‘Woah! What was that?’ and we thought maybe it was a pinecone but then we were like no, there's no trees above us," said Martin.
They stopped and looked around the area. "I found the remnants of the clay pigeon on the side of the road and then we took the truck back home and we got a flashlight and we could see the damage of the orange on the windshield," she said.
The damage will cost them more than $400. There are still broken clay pigeons left on the side of the road.
Another woman in a different incident posted to Facebook saying, "As we drove by a hard something reddish slammed into the door frame right over the passenger mirror and deflected off onto the hood of the car. Debris hit my cheek.”
"I don't want to point fingers but I would think kids (are doing this)," said Martin.
It’s exactly what another neighbor thinks. Gary Scheinost owns 35 acres of land off of Highway 291 and has a shooting range. He says the clay pigeons came from his property. "A lot of malicious damage has been done here by these three kids," said Scheinost.
He says they've been to his property three times in a row and have damaged at least $2,500 worth of property. "Somebody knows who they are out here and I’m sure there's a parent right now if they are watching (this story), they are going to be talking to their children and I want them to contact me because I need this resolved so they don't come back again," he said.
As for Martin and her husband, they just hope that whoever is responsible, will stop before someone gets hurt. "They need to realize the enormity of what they are doing,” said Martin.
Deputies say they are investigating and are planning to have extra patrols out to catch whoever is doing this. Deputies say only one person has said their car got hit with a clay pigeon but others have reported flying rocks and a possible paint can hit them.
If you happen to know anything or if this has happened to you, call the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office to report it: (509) 684-5296.