De Soto Police are asking anyone whose vehicle was egged Thursday night (July 20) to call and report it.
The egging covered a wide area in De Soto, so a police officer has been assigned to take the names of those who report that their vehicles or other belongings were egged, De Soto Police Chief Rick Draper said.
He said 20 dozen eggs were purchased at the De Soto Walmart Thursday, and surveillance footage from the store shows the people who bought them, but as of this afternoon (July 21), suspects had not been identified.
“We can’t just assume that the ones who bought the eggs are the ones who did the egging,” Draper said.
He said the people, once identified, would have to be brought in and questioned.
As of this afternoon, De Soto Police had taken only one report about eggs being thrown on a vehicle, but numerous people posted on Facebook that their vehicles also were egged.
The one incident reported to De Soto Police occurred on East Third Street, he said.
Draper said eggs can cause paint on vehicles to chip and peel. Even if people whose egged vehicles were not damaged, Draper asks them to report the incidents.
“If your vehicle has been egged and you have to go to the car wash to take care of it, we want to know about it,” he said.
Draper said the more De Soto Police learn about where and when the eggs were thrown, the more likely they will be to catch those who did it.
Draper sent a message to the vandals on Facebook.
“We encourage those who took part in the ‘eggings’ of personal property to think long and hard about how much they are willing to pay or (how much it will) cost their parents when they are caught,” he said on the Facebook post. “To avoid the embarrassment of being tracked down at home or work, we encourage those responsible to turn themselves into the De Soto Police.
“It’s a matter of time before the video footage from Walmart is all gathered and shared. Do the right thing. Lift the weight of guilt you felt when you finally laid your head down last night to sleep.”
Draper said eggings are not uncommon in the city but usually are isolated incidents and occur three or four times a year.
Those who had vehicles or other property egged Thursday are asked to call De Soto Police at 636-586-8891.