Woman, 47, arrested for vandalizing eight community buildings, businesses

LEBANON, Ind. (WISH) -  A 47-year-old Boone County woman accused of widespread vandalism was arrested on nine preliminary charges of criminal mischief.

The Lebanon Police Department arrested Sandra Harlan Wednesday morning for spray painting eight Lebanon community buildings and businesses late Friday night.   A window, broken with a dog’s chew toy, was also reported in the damage.

Detective Tony Bayles said vigilant witnesses helped launch the investigation.  Several reports were made of a heavy-set, dark-haired woman scrawling graffiti on businesses.  A community member described to police the car Harlan was seen driving away from one of the scenes and included the first three numbers of the license plate.

Police took the description to the city’s Walmart to question whether employees remembered selling spray paint to a woman sometime Friday.  A clerk told Det. Bayles that she did recall such a transaction.

Bayles studied the retailer’s surveillance video, spotting a woman matching witness descriptions purchasing spray paint and a dog toy around 11:25 p.m. Friday.  The detective gathered the transaction history which matched the tag left on the dog toy found in the business where the window had been broken.

Police located Harlan when her car was found parked in a Lebanon driveway.

“Sometimes these cases are hard to work but things fell into the right place,” Det. Bayles said.

Harlan was arrested and taken into custody.  She immediately requested to speak with an attorney and did not provide further information to investigators.

Drew Blair will have a live report on the arrest on 24-Hour News 8 at 5.