By Laura Swanson, Editor
It could have been so much worse … the wild crime and vandalism spree of Taylor Hulbert and Ryan Woods early Sunday morning October 8th throughout Tillamook did a lot of cosmetic damage. Broken windows at Stimson, destroyed doors at the Air Museum, a stolen vehicle and minor damages to other from Burdens, but overall there was little disruption to the businesses.
The Tillamook Air Museum sustained the most damage, but with amazing assistance from maintenance staff and the community the Air Museum re-opened today October 10th. With two sets of entry doors, they were able to board up and block off the destroyed doors area, and utilize the other set of doors. “It will be some time before our lobby is back to normal, but it is operational and safe for re-entry,” said museum director Rita Welch. “We have such a wonderful team. Museum and Port staff worked hard to “restore” our lobby to a functional temporary state. No exhibits or aircraft were affected by the damages. Special thanks also the Tillamook County Sheriffs Office and Burden’s Muffler & Towing for all your assistance.”
Now the Air Museum will address new doors as they also look at fundraising to keep upgrade and maintain the historic building. For more about how you can help preserve the blimp hangar – go to https://www.tillamookair.com
Here’s some video from the Air Museums celebration of the blimp hangar’s 80th birthday from earlier this summer.
Tillamook Bay Community College also reported that there was little to no damage to the semi-trucks that are used for the College’s CDL training class that were broken into Sunday morning as well. “It’s fortunate that we did not suffer damage to the CDL semi-trucks,” said TBCC CDL Coordinator JoAnn Critelli. “There was no forced entry, locks were not damaged, must have been picked the lock to open. Glove boxes were rummaged through and a fire extinguisher was discharged. The trucks were inspected and started to ensure there were no mechanical issues. Class resumed Monday morning October 9th.”
While the initial reports and number of businesses impacted were cause for concern, the damage could have been much worse, but the incident serves as reminder about the need to address treatment of mental health and substance use disorders. There is an urgent need for urgent care before an incident escalates into injuries or more overdose deaths. Every community is struggling to provide services and resources. If you or someone you know needs help – mental health or substance use – please contact the Tillamook County Crisis Line at 503-842-8201, or any of the services listed here.
