‘Stay away’: Judge orders accused Tesla vandal to keep off company’s property

A Cook County judge on Wednesday ordered a 26-year-old Buffalo Grove resident charged with vandalizing a local Tesla showroom to “stay away from all Tesla properties.”

During a hearing at the county courthouse in Rolling Meadows, Judge Ellen Mandeltort also warned Erin L. White that she will be jailed if she violates those and other conditions of her release.

White is charged with criminal damage to property, a Class 4 felony, and misdemeanor criminal trespass to property stemming from an estimated $9,000 in damage done last week to the Tesla facility on the 900 block of Dundee Road in Buffalo Grove.

The felony charge is punishable by up to three years in prison, though probation also is possible.

Buffalo Grove police responded to a report of vandalism at about 4:08 p.m. March 14, according to Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Kristina Lucas. A witness traveling west on Dundee Road reported seeing a woman spray painting political statements on the showroom’s windows, Lucas said. Another witness pulled onto the lot and captured the incident on the vehicle’s dashcam.

Police recovered four cans of spray paint and a receipt from a home improvement store, according to Lucas. The defendant later told police she purchased the items and admitted to the vandalism.

The cost to remove the graffiti was $1,812, according to Lucas. Repairs cost $7,100.

Buffalo Grove Village President Eric Smith condemned the vandalism at a village board meeting Monday.

“This destructive act has resulted in significant property damage and financial loss,” he said. “Such behavior not only harms individual businesses, but also tarnishes the reputation of our entire community.”

The defendant, who has no criminal background, is scheduled to return to court May 2.