TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — After being vandalized numerous times, 'The Blind Guys' store owners wanted nothing more than to catch the next vandal in the act. On Wednesday morning, they did.
“Luckily my husband wasn’t hurt. He reacted and he ran and chased him down because we’re so tired of this," Julie Sprotte, co-owner of The Blind Guys said.
The Tucson Police Department responded to their 9-1-1 call. I reached out to TPD about the man they arrested and this is their statement:
"Officers responded to 3957 E. Speedway for the report of disorderly conduct. The officer detained an adult male. The male had several warrants, which were confirmed. The case is still in the process of being written, so we don't have any details on charges related to the DOC call just yet."
“It’s very frustrating for business owners. What do we do? We just have to keep moving and where do we go because anywhere you move, it’s the same problems," Sprotte said.
But, the vandal wasn't kept in custody for long.
Wednesday night, Sprotte received a courtesy call from the Pima County Adult Detention Center. They told her the man they arrested was released from their custody.
"What's the point in getting security cameras if they just release the guy anyways the same night? He will be back to doing the same thing tomorrow," Sprotte said.
At the Alvernon Grant Initiative meeting this month, TPD heavily stressed the importance of installing security cameras and reporting all suspicious activities.
“I don’t have time to fight crime. I have four kids. I’m trying to run a business," Sprotte stressed.
In December, several stores off Speedway and Alvernon were vandalized. About one month later, Sprotte is dealing with the same thing again.
Sprotte is trying to look ahead. "I am not hopeless, but I feel like I need to be reaching out to people who can make a bigger impact. I feel like we need to go to the top. We need to get other business owners together.”
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Athena Kehoe is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Athena by emailing athena.kehoe@kgun9.com or by connecting on X/Twitter.
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