THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 20, 1996 TAG: 9604200363
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
TYPE: METRO BRIEFS
DATELINE: SOUTHERN SHORES LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
Police are investigating an incident that occurred within the past week in which someone loosened lug nuts on the tires of two Dare County school activity buses that were parked at Kitty Hawk Elementary.
Southern Shores Detective Ken Forney said lug nuts on one tire of each bus were loosened - but not removed. He received the report Tuesday or Wednesday, he said. But since the buses aren't driven every day, no one is exactly sure when the vandalism occurred.
``One of the custodians was getting ready to drive the bus and checked its tires before it even hit the road,'' Forney said Friday. ``It's a good thing. If the bus had been driven too far, that tire could've fallen off.''
Since a socket wrench is required to loosen the 1.5-inch lug nuts - and the lug nuts are put on with air guns - Forney said there is no way children could have loosened them as part of a prank.
``We determined that it wasn't just kids who did it,'' said the detective. ``They wouldn't have the strength.''
Drivers now are checking the bus tires every day, Forney said. And police are patrolling the school parking lot more frequently. If anyone has any information about the incident, please call Southern Shores Police Department, 261-3331.
- Lane DeGregory, Staff Writer by CNB