SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The owner of a glass company who was hired to replace 135 smashed windows in Scottsdale school buses has been arrested on suspicion of arranging the vandalism incidents for his own profit, police said.
Authorities allege that Troy Volberg, 33, of Goodyear, owner of Tri-State Glass, was the mastermind behind the incidents in April and August at the Scottsdale Unified School District bus yard and at a trucking company in Buckeye in July.
Volberg faces one charge of fraudulent schemes conspiracy, according to police spokesman Shawn Sanders.
Six other people have been arrested in connection with the case, including two who were already in jail charged with first-degree murder in a different case.
Jose Quintero-Figueroa, 30, of Phoenix and Thomas Bastian, 29, of Mesa, believed to be "co-conspirators" in a plot that left a 26-year-old Phoenix man dead April 13, are accused of joining the scheme and breaking school bus windows just a week earlier, police said.
The school district got suspicious when it said Volberg showed up unsolicited to do the work on the second job in August.
Police believe Volberg recruited a middle man to arrange for the smashing of bus windows and then billed the district for replacement glass at a very high price.
Tri-State Glass collected $165,000 from the school district in April and attempted to defraud them of an additional $270,000, according to authorities.
Police said Volberg could have collected in excess of $400,000 in four months.
Officials at Tri-State Glass did not immediately return calls for comment Wednesday.
Police: Others Face ChargesPolice said Scott Sloan, 34, who allegedly acted as the middle man, has been charged with committing fraudulent schemes.
They said Kyle Ryan, 23, who allegedly carried out the vandalism, faces charges of burglary, fraudulent schemes and criminal damage while Jennifer Williams, 42, who allegedly drove Ryan to the bus yard, was arrested on the same charges.
Police did not immediately provide the hometowns for Sloan, Ryan or Williams but said they all lived west of Phoenix.
Volberg's wife, Autumn, was also cited for making threats regarding an invoice, police said.
Police said they were able to follow a money trail, identify Sloan's role and locate the other suspects.
Scottsdale Unified School District Superintendent Dr. John Baracy said he was relieved that the culprits were caught.
"This was not only a crime against property, but a crime against our children and our community," Baracy said.
Officers said they are still searching for three other people believed connected to the cases.
In early April, district mechanics worked through a weekend replacing windshields and side windows on 70 buses.
Windows in nearly 80 buses were smashed in the August incident. The 19 schools whose bus routes were affected included all elementary, middle and high schools in the Arcadia, Coronado and Saguaro complexes. A total of 237 bus routes and 4,000 students were impacted by the vandalism.
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10/3/07 - Glass Company Owner Arrested In Bus, Truck Vandalism
