Tips sought in pair of crimes
By BRENDA SOMMER bsommer@leader-news.com

West Wharton County Crime Stoppers is offering rewards for information on a recently foiled burglary and the vandalism of a vacant house.

The first case occurred around 1:15 a.m. Sunday morning at The Alignment Shop, 709 S. Mechanic. Owner Rudy Dornak heard a loud noise, walked into his office and saw two White or Hispanic youths entering the building through a broken window.

"They had pried the window open," said Crime Stoppers coordinator and El Campo Police Officer Cindy Howell. "They were wearing light-colored, short-sleeved shirts, shorts, white socks and tennis shoes, and were about 15 or 16 years old."

Dornak yelled at the boys, Howell said, and the two teens fled east on Seventh Street without taking anything.

The second crime took place sometime between March 8 and 9 at an unoccupied trailer house at 2254 CR 416, owned by Victor Dybala. The suspect or suspects shot holes in the front and rear doors and several interior walls with a 12-gauge shotgun.

They also shot at a barn on the property and shattered a window in a tractor parked inside. Damage is estimated at about $7,000.

If you have information about either of these cases, call West Wharton County Crime Stoppers at 543- TIPS (543-8477).

You do not have to give their names to qualify for a reward.

Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and grand jury indictment of wanted felons.