VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich — An Illinois family who owns a vacation home in Van Buren County learned this weekend from some neighbors that someone damaged their property.
And that someone also put their excavator into Lower Jeptha Lake.
That's according to the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office who said those neighbors called to check out the damage Sunday afternoon.
When the out-of-state family isn't staying at their vacation home, neighbors will periodically check in. On Sunday, the neighbor spotted things out of order and phoned authorities.
On top of the heavy machinery in the lake, deputies also found several things damaged around the property.
The Van Buren County Dive Team and Mike's Towing from Bangor were able to pull the excavator out.
Once out, deputies found the gas pedal was forced down with a brick and was apparently driven into the lake on purpose.
At this point, authorities don't have a suspect or suspects linked to the vandalism.
Law enforcement is hoping you may have seen or heard something to help them track down those responsible for the damage.
Anyone with information can contact the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office at (269) 657-3101, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-342-7867, Silent Observer at 269-343-2100 or your local police department.
Mobile phone users and online users can provide anonymous crime tips to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office by sending a text Tip Soft message by sending a text message to “CRIMES” (274637) with the keyword VBCTIP from a mobile phone. To submit an online tip, go to www.vbcsheriff.com and select “Contact Us”.
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