A 34-year-old American tourist has been arrested for damaging vehicles in Chang Klan on July 30.
The three targeted vehicles had their windscreens smashed on Thaepae Road Soi 3 near Wat Loi Kroh late Tuesday evening.
The arrested man, Mr. Jesse Edward Lee, who is described as visiting Chiang Mai for four to five days and staying at a hotel in the area, initially told police that he did not clearly recall damaging the vehicles as he had been drinking all day. He did subsequently admit, however, to picking up rocks and breaking the windscreens, probably with some assistance of the CCTV footage police had of him doing so.
To complicate matters further, the owners of the vehicles Lee vandalized have asked for 50,000 baht for the damage – not an unreasonable sum but Lee has refused to pay saying he has no money.
Lee has been detained in custody pending further negotiations for compensation and in the event those talks are not successful, prosecution for criminal damage.
Although not a farang, Lee keeps up the tradition of foreign tourists from western countries with Lee in their name vandalizing things in Chiang Mai. The case of “Scousse Lee,” Lee Furlong, a U.K. national who vandalized the Thapae Gate last year made international headlines.
