| Updated: 12/28/2012 5:12 pm |
Published: 12/28/2012 3:41 pm
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Two days after vandals opened up fire hydrants in west Tulsa creating an icy mess, Tulsa police are now trying to find out who blew up a mailbox using Drano. Officers say this kind of prank could lead to fines and even prison time.
It was supposed to be another normal Thursday night for Lonnie Colvin.
"I was sitting in a chair watching the Outdoor Channel on TV, and I heard a big bang in the front yard and it sounded like a gun going off,” says Lonnie.
Racing outside, he found his mailbox in shreds and several teens in front of his house.
"There was an older-model Maroon Chevy pickup taking off from my mailbox, and I watched them go around the corner,” says Lonnie.
Tulsa Police say the teens placed an explosive device made out of drain cleaner inside Lonnie's mailbox. It blew the mailbox in half and left shards of plastic all over the ground. Officers say they get close to 50 calls a year about Drano bombs, and although this may seem like just a prank, it’s extremely serious.
"A postman that's delivering and anybody walking by on the street or walking their dog through the neighborhood, if that was to go off with them nearby then they could have been injured,” says Tulsa Police Officer, Jillian Roberson.
As police search for the vandals, Lonnie has a message for anyone else thinking about pulling a prank.
"The decisions you make affect you for the rest of your life. If you get caught sticking something like that in somebody's mailbox, then you may end up in prison,” he says.
The Tulsa Police Department’s bomb squad was notified about this incident. We’re told they do keep a record of things like this, because it could lead to larger bombs being built. Destroying property with an explosive device is a felony offense that could result in a $10,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison.
