Authorities in Colorado said a woman has been arrested after a Loveland Tesla dealership was repeatedly vandalised. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
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Feb. 28 (UPI) — Authorities in Colorado have arrested a 40-year-old woman accused of repeatedly vandalizing a Tesla dealership in Loveland.
According to a statement from the police department in Loveland, a city of about 79,000 people located about 50 miles north of Denver, Lucy Grace Nelson was arrested just before midnight Monday.
Police apprehended her while she was in possession of incendiary devices and other materials commonly used in vandalism crimes, the Loveland POlice Department said.
“Detectives apprehended Nelson prior to further damage occurring,” the statement said.
She has been charged with using explosives or incendiary devices during a felony, criminal mischief involving damages between $2,000 and $5,000 and criminal attempt to commit a Class 3 felony.
According to police, Nelson’s arrest follows an investigation opened Jan. 29 into vandalism at the dealership.
On Feb. 7, police said in a statement that the dealership had been vandalized the night prior during an attempted arson attack.
“Various vehicles and the Tesla building were vandalized with graffiti, some of which were offensive and hateful in nature,” it said.
A $100,000 cash surety bond has been issued for Nelson.
The incident comes as Tesla has become a target for public anger since its chief executive officer, Elon Musk, has joined the Trump administration. Tasked with cutting wasteful spending from the federal government, Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency has sought to cancel billions in programs and fire thousands of federal employees, which has attracted growing criticism and several lawsuits.
Among the incidents include Tesla chargers being vandalized with Nazi swastikas, as Musk has been accused of giving a Nazi salute during President Donald Trump‘s inauguration. The world’s richest man has denied the accusation.
Tesla responded to one such incident stating it would remove the graffiti the following day.
“We will press charges for vandalism at Superchargers,” Tesla Charging said on X, which Musk also owns.