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Vandals use marbles to damage car and house windows in Hillsboro, police say

People are spending hundreds of dollars to repair the damage.

HILLSBORO, Ore. — David Umbarger has lived at the corner of Northwest Gardibaldi Street and Northwest Dennis Avenue in Hillsboro for five years. He has been in the neighborhood for even longer. Umbarger describes it as peaceful, but the pieces of a broken car window in his front garden bed are now giving him pause.

"My wife wanted me to clean the garage out so we could get the car in," Umbarger said.

Umbarger said late last week, he walked out of his house and jumped in his SUV and noticed a hole in the back window.

"At first I thought it was shot out by a gun or something, possibly would have heard that," Umbarger said. "He seemed to think it was a slingshot doing it with blue marbles."

That is what the responding police officer told Umbarger, who ultimately paid hundreds of dollars out of pocket to replace the damaged window.

Credit: David Umbarger
The back window of David Umbarger's SUV was shot out.

"I'm on a fixed income," he said. "I'm retired so it doesn't help to throw that kind of money out for some kind of prank or whatever is going on."

Daniel Atkins can empathize with Umbarger. Atkins also lives in Hillsboro and also had his car window shot out. It happened earlier this week.

"Honestly, I don't know who these people are," Atkins said. "I don't know why they'd do this. I don't know who drives around town vandalizing and shooting people's windows out, shooting their cars, shooting their homes. It's insane to me."

Law enforcement said vandals are likely using marbles to damage car windows and home windows, at least 20 incidents so far. Investigators said a 2004 Acura TL and a 2004 Subaru Forester are possible vehicles of interest. However, a neighbor thinks a Ford Escape may be involved.

"I want them caught," Atkins said. "They need to be caught. These random acts of violence cannot happen. It's just senseless."

It is a sentiment echoed by Umbarger.

"Apparently the police are working on it," he said.

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