By Cherrie Anne E. Villahermosa
Variety News Staff

THE stairway of a building that serves as a storage area for the family of a retired government investigator became the latest target of island vandals.
On Saturday, at about midnight, the vandals were at the Stanford Resort Hotel in San Vicente where they sprayed graffiti on the white walls of the stairway that serves as a storage area for Joseph Race, 68, and his family.
Race is a retired policeman and a former attorney general investigation unit chief investigator.
His family occupies a unit on the third floor of the building and the stairway area is situated next to their apartment.
Race said the graffiti was discovered at about midnight on Saturday after he learned that his SUV in the parking lot had been burglarized.
Race said the burglary was discovered by his 14-year-old daughter.
He said his daughter saw two young men burglarizing their vehicle. One of them was holding a machete taken from the vehicle.
The daughter shouted at the burglars who then fled the scene.
She immediately reported the incident to the Stanford manager and it was then that the graffiti was discovered.
Aside from the machete, the burglars also took Race’s sunglasses and camera.
His daughter said the suspects appeared to be young locals in their late teens.
The suspects also used the building’s fire extinguisher to spray the lobby and some vehicles in the parking lot.
Race said it wasn’t the first time that their vehicle has been burglarized. The first incident happened a year ago and the burglars took his tool box.
Race added that several years ago, the building was frequently burglarized so occupants decided to install window grills to prevent access to the residential units.
Race, who has been staying at Stanford for seven years now, retired from the AGIU in Dec. 2005 after being on the Los Angeles police force for 45 years.