Foreclosed Saugus home vandalized

SAUGUS – The first floor of a home at 41 Bow St. was vandalized extensively Thursday afternoon and while the suspect left behind a tool of destruction, police have little else to go on.Lt. Leonard Campanello said the son of the former owner discovered the damage, which Campanello called some “major league vandalism.”According to reports, Brian Collins first came upon the vandalism in March. When police responded to a report of vandalism on Thursday, Collins related his tale.Collins told police that his mother had lost the home due to foreclosure and vacated the property on March 1 but she had until May 18 to retrieve her personal property. He said he stopped by on or about March 14 and found that someone had broken into the single family three bedroom ranch with a finished basement. What he found, according to reports, is that someone came in through the back door, trashed every room of the house, damaging several walls and light fixtures with a sledge hammer and left the sledge hammer behind.Reports also state that the main floor was covered with “garbage, swill and animal feces,” and “there was a strong order of urine throughout the dwelling.”Responding officer Jeffrey Wood said he requested the Building Inspector and the Health Inspector to respond to the scene to evaluate the conditions of the home, which is now owned by Century 21 real estate.Collins was also advised not to remove anything nor return to the residence due to a possible health threat.Campanello said while they have the sledge hammer in evidence, he is not confident it will lead to a suspect.”We haven’t fully processed it yet,” he said. “The investigation is still ongoing.”When asked if the damage might have been connected to the foreclosure, Campanello said he didn’t know and that the Bow Street incident was the only event of its kind the department has encountered thus far.