More than 20 vehicles at a Manheim Township dealership were splattered with paintballs in one of several recent vandalism and theft incidents investigated by area police.

Vandals drove past Drive-Away Preowned, 1255 Manheim Pike, sometime after 8 p.m. Monday and shot paintballs at a row of vehicles parked near the curb, Manheim Township police said.

The paintballs, which were green, orange and blue, struck 21 vehicles and also the glass window of the showroom, firm owner Brian Brightbill said.

The paintballs did not damage the vehicles, but they had to be power washed. That task took four to five hours, Brightbill said.

"Everything washed away," he said.

The vehicles struck by the paintballs were in the front row of the firm, on the east side of Manheim Pike, north of Dillerville Road.

The vandals probably were driving north on Manheim Pike and shot "very rapidly," Brightbill said.

Also in Manheim Township:

• Anthony Galletta, Lancaster, had a GPS navigational unit stolen from his vehicle while it was parked outside the Giant Food store, 1605 Lititz Pike, at Lancaster Shopping Center, police said.

The thief or thieves broke a window of the vehicle between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday. The total loss was $450.

• John Nickle told township police that someone siphoned 10 gallons of gas from his work truck early Tuesday morning in the 1900 block of Eden Road. The loss was $21.

Elsewhere:

• Lancaster police are seeking a shoplifter who grabbed four $260 purses from a sales rack at the Bon-Ton store at Park City Center shortly before 5 p.m Tuesday. The suspect spent less than three minutes in the store, police were told.

• City police cited Akheim S. Brown, 18, of Gaige Hall, Millersville, and Ortemy Santo Domingo, 20, of the 100 block of Albright Avenue. for retail theft after they allegedly were caught shoplifting $41.34 bottles of Paris Hilton perfume Monday night at the Sears store in Park City Center.

• Tools, chain saws and other equipment were stolen between Sunday and Tuesday from a barn in the 1400 block of Silver Springs Road in Drumore Township, Lancaster state police said. Harry K. Fry, 48, of Drumore, was the victim.

• A pumpkin was thrown through a window of a sun room at a home in the first block of School Lane in Reamstown, East Cocalico Township police said.

The incident happened at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, and damage was substantial, police said.

Manheim police have made arrests in three incidents involving vandalism in the borough.

• Two Manheim boys, ages 15 and 16, have been charged with institutional vandalism and criminal mischief for allegedly throwing a rock through a window at Manheim Central High School, 400 Adele Ave., on Oct. 5.

Three Manheim boys, ages 11, 14 and 16, have been charged with criminal mischief and recklessly endangering another person for allegedly firing BBs that broke windows and struck people in the area of 31 S. Main St. on Nov. 2.

• A 16-year-old Penn Township boy and a 17-year-old Rapho Township boy face charges of criminal mischief, criminal trespass and criminal conspiracy for allegedly trying to break into Francisco's Pizza restaurant, 30 S. Main St., on Nov. 3.


Staff writer John M. Hoober III can be reached at jhoober@LNPnews.com or 481-6027.