Something’s been blowing around the Orange County Courthouse and vehicle owners aren’t happy. They’ve discovered miniscule dots of white spray paint covering their cars, trucks and SUVs.
Sheriff Keith Merritt said he’s been through this before. The paint has likely come from one of the nearby shipyards. The sheriff has a captain keeping a list of private and county vehicles that have had paint.
Merritt said the tiny paint dots are hard to see. “I felt my vehicle,” he said. “It (the paint) feels like sandpaper.”
The sheriff’s captain has also contacted the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to investigate. In a county email, Captain Dennis Marlow said TCEQ will investigate which company released the spray paint, but the state agency cannot make the company pay for any damages.
The Tommy Gunn law offices are on Border Street across from the Orange County Jail. Gunn said he didn’t notice the paint on his black vehicle at first. “Get in the sunlight, it’s like it’s a speckled bird,” he said.
Gunn said the vehicles will have to be cleaned and special clay is the only way to remove the paint.
Suzie Wallace, who works in Gunn’s office, said her new Cadillac had so much paint on the windshield that her husband had to use clay to get it off so she could see.
One of the curious things about the spray is that the Gunn office has a covered carport with only one open side. However, one of the walls ends a few inches above the ground. Wallace said the wind was swirling around Border Street and their office. The paint was blown inside the carport.
Gunn said they checked around the courthouse area. Steve Carlton’s office next ot Gunn’s office, had vehicles with paint. George Barron and Jerry Pennington, who have offices on the north side of the courthouse also discovered paint.
P A KISER says
the vehicle can be sanded and buffed also.
Jamey Grant says
I worked for Westport shipyard and they spray paint out in the open from prime to finish I had to scrap my windshield once a week to get the paint off so I could see. Also as an employee I had to sign an agreement that there not responsible for paint on my vehicle. Most likely that’s where it’s coming from.
Jarvis A.Buckley Jr. says
Wind blows out of the south 90 percent of the time. Doubtful coming from Westport.
Look south young man.????
Dorothy Gale says
It goes with the territory. Industry.