Two Men Charged In Vandalism And Robbery Spree

BRISTOL, Va. – Two men have been charged in last month’s vandalism and robbery spree in Briarwood Subdivision.

William C. Scott, 23, of Oakdale Road, Johnson City, Tenn., was arrested Friday, while Joseph D. Thigpen, 21, of Millsap Street, Bristol, Va., was arrested May 28, according to a news release from the Bristol Virginia Police Department.

In the early morning hours of May 17, police say the pair forced their way into a vacant house, destroyed its interior, and set a backyard storage building on fire. The fire engulfed a neighbor’s fence.

“The insides of the houses were totally destroyed,” said investigating officer Sgt. Steven B. Crawford. “Bathroom fixtures, French doors, windows, kitchen cabinets – if it had glass in it, they broke it.”

Police suspect that a baseball bat or similar object was used, although one has not been found.

Crawford said the pair returned later that night and vandalized another vacant home in a similar manner. They are then accused of moving through the neighborhood, burglarizing two houses whose owners were not at home.

A TV was stolen from one house and a gaming console was taken from another, police said.

It is not clear how much property damage there was, but Crawford said initial estimates are in the thousands for one house alone.

Police describe the night as a drunken spree. Scott and Thigpen, both college students, were at a nearby party the night of the incident, police said.

“Alcohol is the major contributing factor here,” Crawford said. “Neither has a history of doing things like this. They just got drunk and carried on.”

Crawford said one simple piece of evidence the men dropped at the scene led directly to the arrests. He declined, however, to name that object.

Each man faces four charges of burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, two charges of grand larceny, conspiracy to commit larceny, arson, conspiracy to commit arson and two charges of felony destruction of property.

Thigpen was released May 29 on a $25,000 bond. Scott, whose bond was set at $15,000, was released Monday.

A preliminary hearing has been set for July 23.

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