Three people, including two teenagers, were arrested and face charges for vandalizing Factory Square in Southington in May, police said.
The Southington Police Department said they received a vandalism call at 168 Center Street on May 18th. According to property management, three people stayed at Factory Square after regular business hours on May 16. The property manager told police the three people flooded a bathroom. which spread to the lobby causing damage.
Surveillance footage helped police identify the three suspects as 18-year-old Haylie Hackett of New Britain, 19-year-old Michael Lanzo of Waterbury and 20-year-old John Jenkins.
Surveillance footage shows Lanzo riding a motorcycle in the lobby, bathroom hallway and screen at the front entrance of the business, which caused an estimated $1,150 in damage, according to police.
Hackett told police he arrived at Factory Square around 7 p.m., while Jenkins and Lanzo arrived at 1 a.m. Hackett told police he told Jenkins he had permission to being on the property and that he was not involved in the flooding, claiming that Lanzo did most of the damage to the bathrooms. Hackett said the group left together between 4 and 5 p.m., police said.
Jenkins confirmed Hackett’s timeline, police said, and told police she was looking for a place to “chill” with Hackett, needed to charge her phone and stayed inside the business because of the rain outside. Jenkins supported Hackett’s statement that Lanzo was the person responsible for flooding the toilets, as well as riding his scooter inside the building and breaking the light.
Hackett and Jenkins were captured on surveillance footage going in and out of the bathrooms, then what appeared to be water flooding from one of the bathrooms, police said.
Hackett and Lanzo were arrested and charged Monday with second-degree criminal tampering, second-degree conspiracy to commit trespassing, third-degree criminal mischief and third-degree conspiracy to commit criminal mischief Monday. Hackett was released on $10,000 bond. Lanzo was released on $5,000 bond.
On Tuesday, Jenkins was picked up on an active warrant. He was arrested and charged with second-degree criminal tampering, second-degree conspiracy to commit trespassing, third-degree criminal mischief and third-degree conspiracy to commit criminal mischief and was released on $10,000 bond.
All three are scheduled to appear in court in GA15 New Britain on August 8.
