WALPOLE, Mass. — Vlad Ivanov doesn’t mince words when sharing how he feels about the vandals who targeted his company’s Walpole warehouse last Wednesday, spraying graffiti and damaging or destroying furniture.
“It infuriates me,” says Ivanov, CEO and founder of Limitless Moving & Storage. “There’s no place for behavior like this in a great town like Walpole.”
Police tell Boston 25 News they believe the suspects are juveniles, which does little to assuage Ivanov’s frustrations.
“The very unfortunate part is that a lot of the furniture we have in our warehouse gets donated to people in need,” Ivanov says, including people coming out of homelessness.
The teenagers were not thinking of the ripple effects their actions would have on others, Ivanov believes.
“They don’t know it’s going to go to someone’s home who needs a couch, or needs a bed,” Ivanov says.
According to the Limitless Moving & Storage website, furniture and mattress donations are delivered to the neighboring New Life Furniture Bank, a volunteer-led nonprofit that makes the furniture available for free to those in need through referring agencies.
The New Life Furniture Bank’s website says it “envision[s] a future where no one is forced to live, eat, or sleep on the floor.”
New Life was also the target of a recent break-in. Police say a computer was stolen from the business. Security cameras captured the suspects inside, according to Ivanov. Police tell Boston 25 News they are investigating if the same suspects are responsible for both break-ins.
Ivanov is certain they are.
“Small business owners have a lot on their shoulders,” says Ivanov. “This is not something you want to deal with.” Ivanov says when the suspects are caught, he will push for charges and plans to pursue any other recourse available to him under the law.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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