The man suspected of several tire slashing sprees on Spaulding Street in Pullman has denied involvement.
Benjamin Rinehart, 45, of Pullman, pleaded not guilty to second-degree malicious mischief during an appearance Friday in Whitman County Superior Court.
Rinehart was arrested by Pullman Police Department officers earlier this month after a neighbor allegedly caught him on video puncturing her tire.
Court documents show multiple reports of tire slashings have been made on Spaulding Street since December. More than a dozen vehicles became victims to the rashes, resulting in about $1,000 in damages.
A Spaulding resident’s tires were pierced early last week, and they decided to set up a video surveillance system to monitor the vehicle. Court documents allege Rinehart was captured in the footage puncturing the car’s tire a second time the day after the initial report.
Officers were shown the video, which portrays a man bending down and making a stabbing motion near the rear tire of the vehicle. Police indicated in court documents that Rinehart, also a resident of Spaulding Street, was identified for matching the man’s clothes and physique in the footage.
Rinehart told authorities he was outside around the same time the video was taken. He denied slashing any tires, and said he left his residence to take out the trash.
Court documents revealed Rinehart agreed with police during his arrest that he was the man shown in a still image law enforcement took from the footage.
Rinehart will appear before a jury for trial in April.
Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.
