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Hernando Today

27 Mailboxes Flattened

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By KYLE MARTIN

Hernando Today

Published: November 25, 2008

SPRING HILL - As she surveyed the remains of the mailbox strewn across the lawn, one thing came to Doris Burr's mind:

"Not again."

Someone smashed her mailbox once before, when she lived out in the country. Then she lost another mailbox to a car after she moved to Whitewood Avenue, behind Fire Station No. 3, on Spring Hill Drive.

But Burr was certainly not alone in her dismay Saturday morning. Authorities say 27 other mailboxes and three street signs in her neighborhood had been damaged overnight. Total damage estimate: $960.

Take a slow drive south of Burr's home and you'll see the remains of these mailboxes peeking out of the top of trash barrels along the curb. Decapitated mailboxes lie flat on the ground - shards on the lawn winking in the sunlight.

The sheriff's office was notified about the damage at about 6:30 a.m. and sent Deputy Shawn Galarza to investigate. Galarza first noticed the damage in the area of Linden and Coronado drives, then canvassed a two-mile area to determine the extent of the destruction.

All told, he found six downed mailboxes on Coronado, six on Bolger Avenue, nine on Gold Road, two on Whitewood Avenue and four on Linden. He also discovered damaged road signs at Coronado Drive and Maximilian Avenue and the intersection of Jessica and Cressida drives.

Acting on a tip, Deputy Shawn Galarza went to 10492 Timbercrest Drive to talk with a potential suspect. Parked in the driveway was an old white Ford pickup truck with "significant" damage to the front end, a report states.

Galarza talked with the truck's owner, Terry Janoski, 18, who reportedly admitted to hitting six mailboxes and a street sign. Janoski was arrested and taken to the county jail.

Galarza returned later that day to confront the suspect about the additional damage he had found. Janoski admitted he had lied and was charged with 28 counts of criminal mischief, the deputy said.

On Monday, Gerard Ward was preparing to replace the mailbox that had been smashed outside his Gold Road home. It cost him more than $40 to replace the box and for the concrete to embed its stand in the ground. He had debated whether to reinforce the new one with rebar, but liability issues made him change his mind.

His opinions on the matter are clear:

"I'm not amused at all," he said.

Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com

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