By Neil Farrell
A Morro Bay man was arrested Tuesday, July 7 for suspicion of felony vandalism after he allegedly used a slingshot to shoot out windows in the Morro Bay Police Department’s front door, the windshield of a patrol car, and a window at a local bank, among other alleged acts in San Luis Obispo.
According to Acting SLOPD Chief Chris Staley, back on June 9 they got reports of nine banks and several other Downtown businesses having windows vandalized. Investigators found several round steel ball bearing balls inside some of the businesses. Total damage was estimated at about $20,000, said Chief Staley.
Using surveillance video from nearby businesses, SLOPD identified a possible suspect vehicle — a white Ford Ranger with a green camper shell — in that string of crimes that was nearby when the crimes occurred, said Chief Staley.
At 1 a.m. July 1, a SLOPD officer stopped a truck matching the description and identified the driver but didn’t have probable cause to make an arrest, so the driver was released.
Then at about 8:10 a.m. Tuesday, July 7, a white Ford Ranger stopped in front of the Morro Bay Police Station, 850 Morro Bay Blvd., and shot “multiple ball bearings through the front door and windows of the department,” Chief Staley said.
The driver then went around the corner into an alleyway behind the stationhouse, and reportedly shot more balls at a patrol car, damaging the windshield and denting the car body.
Twenty minutes later, MBPD officers got a report of possible bullet holes in the windows at Chase Bank, about three blocks west of the police station. When police arrived, a citizen approached them who had witnessed the vandalism. He or she gave police the truck’s license plate number and a description of the suspect — white male in his 20s, with a thin build.
The license plate led to identification of the owner, which MBPD detectives put out on a police bulletin, saying he was wanted for allegedly shooting out windows at the station, the vandalism to the patrol car and shooting out the windows at Chase Bank.
SLOPD detectives got the bulletin and noted the similarities to their vandalism case back in June.
The departments opened a joint investigation and got an arrest warrant for the man. At about 5:30 p.m. that day (July 7) officers from Cuesta College Police Department stopped the suspect vehicle in the area of Foothill and California boulevards in SLO.
With detectives from Morro Bay and SLO present, Joshua Ryan Meissner, 26 of Morro Bay was arrested on the warrant. A search of his truck reportedly discovered two, high-powered slingshots, along with a bag of 75-100 silver ball bearings. Meissner was booked into County Jail for suspicion of felony vandalism with his bail set at $25,000.
MBPD Chief Amy Christey and Chief Staley said they are grateful to their communities for reporting the suspicious activity.
Chief Christey said, “The Department wants to thank our citizens who called in suspect information for the person responsible for the damage at the Police Department and Chase Bank, and encourage all citizens to promptly report any suspicious activity. I am grateful that the employees who work at Chase Bank were so prompt in reporting this crime, as that assisted us greatly with the investigation.”
The incident marked the third time the Morro Bay Police Department’s front door — which has panels of glass — has been targeted in the past year or so. Last year, a mentally ill man rammed his motorcycle into the front doors and was soon captured. And this past April 15, a Los Osos man threw a sledgehammer through the front doors, nearly injuring two people who were sitting inside. He too was soon arrested.
Anyone with additional information regarding the arrest of Meissner is being asked to notify the SLOPD, MBPD, or Crime Stoppers.