A retired Port Alberni forestry worker with health problems is out of pocket for repairs after a vandal maliciously damaged his scooter.
Dino DeMarni, 74, left his residence in the Third Avenue and Montrose Street area on a Sunday afternoon to go for a ride on his electric scooter. But the former shakeblock cutter was in for a shock when he lifted the canvas covering his bike, parked outside his door.
“Someone poured ketchup on my battery while it was charging and ruined it. Those cost almost $300 to replace,” DeMarni said.
The damage was repairable. But two days later DeMarni found that someone poured a large pot of soup into the battery compartment of his scooter and ruinedg it.
“It was a lot of soup,” DeMarni said. “I’m calling it a hate crime because whoever did it didn’t do it out of love. I don’t know why they did it.”
The loss of the scooter has caused DeMarni hardship. He lives in a fixed income, making repairing the damage or buying a new scooter onerous. As well, he suffered a stroke three years ago and uses the scooter as his only mode of transportation.
DeMarni says he’s had trouble with some people in his neighbourhood and has talked to the police about it.
RCMP Const. Theresa Thompson said that police attended the scene and spoke to one individual but that no charges were laid.