HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. -- A vandal continues to dump nails all over a Hillsborough County road. Now, neighbors are fed up with getting flat tires. They say it's been going on for nearly two years but nobody can catch the slippery vandal.
In the new year, neighbors discovered even more nails on Hannaway Drive in front of Riverview Elementary School. But neighbors say they're stuck in limbo.
It's a nightmare that just won't end for those living off Hannaway.
"Whoever it is is very sneaky," said Dennis Labrie.
The crime has no lack of evidence. In fact, Labrie has collected 15 bags of nails over nearly two years. But this vandal just won't quit. They always slip away without getting caught.
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"You know how everybody says 'violence is not the issue' (sic.), but I just want to shake somebody," said Labrie.
Early Friday morning, he headed off to work.
"You put your high-beams on, you see the heads of the nails on the road," he described.
There, scattered on the school crosswalk, were enough nails to fill his hand. Just two days later, the vandal struck again. It's gotten so bad Labrie has had to call off work before stranded at home.
"Every time I go to the tire store it's $20 so I probably have a couple of hundred dollars in just patching tires," he said.
Frustrated neighbors have even installed cameras with no luck. HCSO has told us they're aware of the problem but can't do anything unless the person is caught in the act.
"I've thought about moving. It just pushes you -- you don't want to be in that area," said Labrie.
For now, all they can do is warn one another on Facebook and hope this nail vandal makes a mistake.
The school district is taking action too. They’ve told us an administrator comes out routinely to check for nails. HCSO encourages anyone who finds nails to report it to them. The agency says it has not arrested anyone in connection with this series of crimes.
