By Noel Brennan
BRUCEVILLE-EDDY - Bruceville-Eddy Police and the McLennan County Sheriff's Office are trying to find out who fired two shots at the water tank on 1460 Old Bethany Rd. near Moody.
Authorities are offering a $1,000 reward for the arrest and indictment of the person or persons involved.
The half-million dollar facility was first put in use back on December 1, 2011. On January 29, 2012, a passerby called police to let them know the brand-new water tank was leaking.
Police believe the vandal used a high-caliber rifle to pierce the steel walls of the tank. When crews from the Bruceville-Eddy Water Department arrived on scene, water was still spewing out of the bullet holes. As thousands of gallons leaked from the tank, the city had to come up with a quick fix. They plugged the holes with whittled-down sticks.
"Now, we had to do something," explained Water Dept. Superintendent, John Wayne Metcalf. "This was Sunday morning. Wasn't any stores open, so that's the best we could do and it did stop it."
Bruceville-Eddy Police said criminal mischief is fairly common in the area, but they were surprised someone would vandalize a water tank.
"Shooting water tanks is not unheard of,"said Cpl.. David Buchanan of Bruceville-Eddy Police, "but what makes this one different is this was our brand new facility."
It could cost the city up to $25,000 to make needed repairs to the tank. The next step is bringing in divers to recover bullet fragments from inside the tank. Police hope the fragments will help them track down the weapon and the shooter.
"It's a headache. Plus it's pretty dangerous," said Metcalf. "This is a public water system which means public safety, and to me, it's just not like shooting a stop sign."
Police plan to pursue felony charges against whoever is responsible. If you have any information, please call Bruceville-Eddy Police at (254)859-5964 or the McLennan County Sheriff's Office at (254)757-5222.
