The Lakeview National Golf Course is looking for any information regarding an incident involving six golf carts late Sunday evening, Aug. 11.

According to general manager Ian Guzzo, five or six carts were taken out after hours Sunday and severely damaged. The carts were driven around the lower part of the course near the parking lot, near holes eight and nine resulting in minor damage to the course and major damage to the carts.

"We can see where they were jumping carts off the No. 8 green into a sand trap," Guzzo said. "It’s a pretty severe drop, so that’s where all the damage came to the carts. They’re in pretty rough shape. Four of them, the front ends are cracked, the axles are bent and tie rods are snapped. So I would guess that four of the carts are going to cost anywhere from $2,000-$3,000 each to fix or replace."

Guzzo also said there are marks on Hole 9 where the vandals attempted to spin out in the carts.

Vandals caused significant damage to 4-6 golf carts at Lakeview National Golf Course last Sunday, Aug. 11. Photo: submitted

The course rents golf carts from a local company for the summer. Guzzo said they have a cart barn that fits 32 carts, but the course rents 46 carts. This results in 14-16 carts that must stay outside in the lower lot near the deck of the clubhouse, which is where the vandals accessed the carts.

"If someone had a key, it would be fairly easy to access them," Guzzo said.

Because of this incident, Guzzo said the course plans to implement stronger security measures, including more security cameras and possibly cabling the carts every night.

"Anyone with information should call the police department or the golf course," Guzzo said. "I'd like to see those responsible to have to pay the bill to fix these carts."

Marks in the green on course nine at Lakeview National Golf Course shows where vandals spun the stolen carts in circles on the greens. (Photo submitted)

To read the original article and see related reporting, follow this link to the Lake County News Chronicle.  https://www.lcnewschronicle.com/news/crime-and-courts/4613006-Vandals-strike-Lakeview-Golf-Course-ca...