ETTRICK, Va. — A man is in custody after police say he stole a bulldozer on the campus of Virginia State University in Chesterfield County, causing substantial damage in an apparent act of vandalism.
According to a university spokesperson, damage on the VSU campus includes a demolished VSU police vehicle, significant damage to an entrance at the VSU Multipurpose Center, and damage to light poles, sidewalks, trees, a fire hydrant, and more.
The man reportedly stole the bulldozer - which is owned by a company doing work on campus - from a construction site. The suspect then drove the bulldozer through various parts of campus and the surrounding community causing substantial damage.
The spokesperson said the suspect, who has been identified as 27-year-old Devin Thorne, was still on the bulldozer when he was taken into custody. They said Thorne has no affiliation with VSU. However, he has been arrested several times for trespassing and other on-campus violations. A man with the same name has dozens of offenses listed in the Virginia Judiciary database.
As a result of this incident, Thorne has been charged with felony eluding, trespassing, obstruction of justice, grand larceny and two counts of felony vandalism. He is being held without bond at the Chesterfield County Jail, according to Richmond ABC affiliate WRIC.
“We are still assessing the physical damage to our campus. However, we are grateful that no one from our Trojan community or the local community was injured in this incident,” said David Bragg, VSU AVP of Public Safety/Chief of Police.
