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Kids trash veteran's home during party in Graham
Deputies in Pierce County detained 23 people for throwing a destructive house party at a veteran's home in Graham while he was out of state. Still, no arrests have been made.
GRAHAM, Wash. - Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies detained 23 people after an illegal house party left a Graham home severely damaged over the weekend.
Investigators said the people at the party were aged 14 to 20 years old.
What we know:
The home, which was just two weeks away from closing following a sale, suffered an estimated $50,000 in damage, the homeowner tells FOX 13 Seattle.
"It was maddening. I wanted to be here," said Michael Legue.
Legue, a retired U.S. Air Force Tech Sergeant formerly stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, said he watched the aftermath via a FaceTime call from his sister-in-law while at his new home in Oklahoma.
Legue has since returned to Washington and is currently sleeping on an air mattress inside the damaged house while attempting to clean up the space.
The majority of rooms in the two-story residence were covered in graffiti, including slurs and hate speech, the windows were broken, and there are holes in the wall.
What's next:
Although deputies detained 23 people, no formal arrests have been made. According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, investigators have not yet been able to identify which specific individuals caused the destruction.
"There was a lot of them joking around about it and laughing on the back deck," he said.
Legue stated he intends to seek full accountability and financial restitution for the destruction.
"Whoever did the spray-painting and the damage, if we can prove it, they need to be held responsible," Legue said. "Every kid that was out here — every kid named on that report — like, their parents, we’re going after them for damages."
The Pierce County Sheriff's Office confirmed it has forwarded proposed charges of burglary and malicious mischief to the prosecutor’s office for review.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter AJ Janavel.