Wounded veteran's home vandalized by teenagers: 'This incident is disheartening'

An Army veteran who lost his left arm and leg while serving in Iraq will have to wait a bit longer for a house that was being built especially for him -- because two teenagers vandalized the home under construction, officials said.

Police in Hanson, Massachusetts said they responded to a report Monday of vandalism at the construction site of the future home of Paul Skarinka, who served as a corporal with the U.S. Army.

Officials said they found that 24 custom windows and three doors had been destroyed along with some already-installed lighting. They estimated the damage to cost more than $50,000.

“This incident is disheartening,” Hanson Police Chief Michael Miksch said in a statement on Facebook. “When a veteran and his family, who have sacrificed so much for our country, become the victim of a senseless crime, it hurts us all.”

Skarinka told Boston 25 he was critically injured eight months into his first tour in Iraq in September 2004. His unit came under enemy fire while on a mission outside of Bagdad when they were hit by a rocket-propelled grenade explosion.

He underwent 22 surgeries that included the amputation of his left leg below the knee and partial amputation of his left arm. He is now a firefighter and paramedic in Plympton.

The new house is being funded by Jared Allen’s Home for Wounded Warriors along with the New England Carpenters Training Fund and Commodore Builders, the news station reported.

“Our house, we wanted a lot of windows because we wanted the natural light and where the house was, was so nice and it’s a really nice lot on three acres,” Skarinka told Boston 25 on Wednesday. “One or two windows, that’s one thing, but you made an effort and pretty much went out of your way to break every single window that was in that house.”

Neighbors reported they spotted two teenagers in the area Saturday night. They were later identified via surveillance video from neighbors.

The teens were taken to the police station by their parents Monday night and police said the parents are fully cooperating with the investigation.

“The parents of the two young men have been very helpful and respectful,” Miksch said in a subsequent statement. “Their children are accused of doing something stupid that in time we hope to use to teach them a valuable lesson about sacrifice.”

The two teenagers have been charged with vandalism and will appear in Plymouth Juvenile Court at a later date.

“Hopefully, the punishment fits the crime,” Skarinka said. “That’s some malicious intent there if you want to break all the windows. You don’t have respect for people’s property.”

Jared Allen’s Home for Wounded Warriors told Boston 25 they have pushed back the move in date by about five weeks. If all goes well, the family hopes to celebrate their Thanksgiving in their new home.

A fundraising campaign was created to help raise additional funds for the house and Skarinka’s family.