Two private citizens, upset over the fact that someone scratched the paint on the Beeville Volunteer Fire Department’s newest truck, have each put up $500 in reward money.

Somebody could be $1,000 richer, said Assistant Fire Chief Bill Burris this week. All it would take is a quick phone call and the name of the vandal who did he damage.

Detectives Eddie Garcia and Chris Bernal said it may be possible to make even more money if the Bee County Crime Stoppers organization offers a reward for information leading to the arrest of the vandal.

Crime Stoppers often provides reward money for people who offer information that can solve a crime in the county.

Burris and the truck’s captain, Kirk Delgado, said someone apparently scratched the paint on the month-old, $300,000 truck during the football game on Friday, Sept. 4.

Burris said the truck was parked on a city right of way outside the fence at Veterans Memorial Stadium just east of the A.C. Jones High School campus.

“The police said it looked like someone probably used a box cutter to scratch the paint along most of the left side of the truck. Burris said the vandal probably was walking from the stadium to the back of the Wal-Mart Supercenter property just north of the stadium.

The scratch appeared to have been made by a heavy-duty razor blade because it was a narrow cut and it went deep.

“A lot of kids get dropped off at the stadium and instead of going in to watch the game they wait until their parents leave and then walk over to Wal-Mart,” Burris said.

Burris said the scratch went all the way through the paint to the metal. And the vandal even pulled the blade through the gold leaf lettering on the side of the vehicle.

Representatives of Siddon Apparatus Co., builders of the truck, are preparing an estimate of what it will cost to repair the damaged lettering. He said the department will find someone local to repair the damage to the fire engine red paint.

Delgado said firemen noticed the damage on Sunday and reported it to the police on Labor Day.

Garcia said anyone who might have information could either contact Crime Stoppers at 362-0206 or Detective Lt. Rene Guerrero at 358-8100 to provide information.

“It’s a shame that now we’ll have post a fireman to watch the truck during football games now,” Burris said.