A Clarke County grand jury recently indicted a University of Georgia student who allegedly caused $20,000 in damages to nearly a dozen vehicles belonging to other students at their luxury apartment building in downtown Athens.
According to an indictment filed July 17 in Superior Court, Brandyn Matthew Clark was charged with 11 felony counts of second-degree criminal damage for the vandalism spree that authorities say occurred early on the morning of Jan. 26 at The Standard of Athens.
Police said they arrested Clark after a trail of blood led them from the damaged vehicles in the parking garage of his North Thomas Street apartment building to the student’s apartment.
Clark reportedly denied damaging the cars and SUVs, telling police that on the night of the vandalism, he had been looking for a red car he claimed had struck his own car in a hit-and-run accident. All of the cars and SUVs that Clark intentionally damaged were red, according to Athens-Clarke County police. They all had blood and shoe prints on them, police said.
The investigation into the damage began when a UGA student residing in the apartment building reported to police that a window of her red Volkswagen had been smashed and that there also was body damage to the car.
Following the blood trail that led to similarly damaged vehicles, police said they came across Clark’s white Honda Civic, which had heavy passenger-side damage. An air bag had deployed, also on the passenger side, according to police.
After the blood trail ended at Clark’s apartment, police said they spoke with the student, who asked if they were “there for the hit and run last night,” according to a police report.
Clark was arrested and charged with nine counts of second-degree criminal damage. The indictment charged him with damaging two more vehicles that were later determined to have been vandalized.
Clark remains free on bond and is scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court on Aug. 19.
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