SHERIFF’S OFFICE MEDIA RELEASE

Indian River County Sheriff’s Office has arrested three suspects in the June 16, 2013, fire hydrant tampering case.  Jeffrey Adam Newman (19), Triston Cooper Ware (18), and William Kyle Webb (18), all of Vero Beach, were arrested yesterday (9/10/13) on warrants for three counts of preventing or obstructing the extinguishment of a fire and one count of criminal mischief. All three suspects posted the $4,000 bond and were released after being booked into the Indian River County Jail.

Detectives were provided the suspects’ identities by an anonymous source.  All three were interviewed by investigators and admitted to opening the hydrants as a prank.  The total amount of the damage or loss reported by Indian River County Utilities Department is $5,980.

From the media release on June 17, 2013: “Early Sunday morning (2:31AM) the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center was notified of a fire hydrant which had been opened near the 9800 block of S.R. 60. The Fire Department sent a truck out to close the hydrant but at approximately 3:10AM, another hydrant was found opened near 4^th Street and 98^th Avenue.  Again, the Fire Department responded to close the hydrant.

By 4:22AM, a fifth hydrant had been discovered opened and patrol deputies were notified to be on the lookout for suspicious activity relating to hydrants being maliciously opened.  By approximately 7:20AM, a total of 17 hydrants had been found opened.  Many were near S. R. 60 between I-95 and 58^th Avenue but three were in the Vero Highlands and two were in the Gifford area.

Officials from Indian River County Utilities Department told Sheriff’s Office detectives that approximately 1.2 million gallons of water had been released on Sunday morning.”