Some things you don’t want to share with your neighbors.
After coming home late from a long study session with his friends, Lake Highlands High School senior Will Mogk parked his 2003 Ford Explorer on the street in front of his house.
He didn’t count on being one of the dozen victims whose vehicle had its windows shot out with a BB gun.
His father, John Mogk, says Will was irate when he discovered the damage.
“He went outside to go to school and he was upset that someone would do this to his truck,” Mogk says.
“I bought him that Explorer for school. Now he says he isn’t going to park in front of the house. Now he parks in the driveway behind the house.”
Mogk says that as other neighbors left their houses that day, they noticed similar damages to their cars.
“My neighbor thought it was just her son’s car, and that is when I knew that a whole bunch of them were hit,” Mogk says. “There was shattered glass all in the street, and nothing was taken out of Will’s truck.”
Mogk says his son did hear a car alarm going off that night, but he didn’t recognize it.
“He said that he heard the alarm for just a short time, but he didn’t think to look,” Mogk says.
Mogk called police and officers confirmed that there were other reports of shattered windows in and around the neighborhood.
Mogk gave his son a ride to school and had the window replaced that same day. It set him back about $135, but combined with the other cases, the estimated total cost is roughly $2,500.
Dallas Police Lt. Michael Woodbury says there is really no way to stop these types of crimes unless they catch perpetrators in the act.
“There isn’t much we can do to prevent this,” Woodbury says. “People that have garages should use them if they can.”
Mogk says he has lived in the same area for 26 years and in his current house for four. Last year his front window was smashed, and his mailbox was busted about six months ago. Then, same as this time, he wasn’t the only one affected. —Gabby Martinez
