Stakeout Catches Newspaper Rack Vandal

By: (AP) A stakeout by the Bonner County Daily Bee circulation department nabbed a suspect in a rash of newspaper rack vandalism cases.

Anthony Dailey, 64, a contracted motor route carrier distributing papers for the competing regional newspaper, faces a charge of tampering with a vending machine, police said.

For the past several weeks "out of order" signs have been sprouting up on Bee vending machines. Grease also was squirted into the coin mechanisms on the racks, making them unusable.

Those actions have cost the paper more than $1,000 in lost revenue, manpower, and damage, Bee Publisher David Keyes said.

Armed with a video camera, Circulation Director Chris Watkins parked near one machine on Thursday in hopes of spotting the culprit.

At about 3 a.m., Dailey, a 64-year-old contract carrier for The Spokesman-Review, arrived to deliver papers in the Spokesman rack next to the Bee machine, Watkins said. After putting in new Spokesman papers, he squirted the lubricant into the mechanism in the Bee rack, Watkins said.

He said the tape turned over to police clearly showed Dailey and his license plate and vehicle.

Police Det. Jimmy Cornelius said he asked Dailey about the damage to the machines and got a confession.

"We regret any problems this may have caused the Daily Bee," said Bob Thomas, Spokesman-Review circulation director. "We don't condone this kind of action. It's reprehensible."

He said Dailey is not a Spokesman-Review employee. The newspaper contracts out its carrier routes.

There was no telephone listing for Dailey in the Sandpoint area.