LINCOLNTON, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — A woman in Lincoln County accused of slashing tires on 18 vehicles outside a dentist’s office has been arrested and charged, Lincolnton Police confirmed with Queen City News on Tuesday.
Officers responded to calls regarding the incident Monday morning, July 29, outside Lincolnton Family Dentist on East Sycamore Street. An initial investigation stated that Ashlen Beatty, 37, slashed 60 tires on 18 cars, with some of the cars having all four tires punctured.
The damaged cars were parked at both the dentist’s office and along the street, officers said.
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She was arrested nearby at her home shortly after the incident and now faces charges that include 18 counts of property damage, according to the police report.
Many of the cars targeted were parked at homes on East Pine Street where the suspect lives.
One homeowner, Nicholas Barnette, captured the whole thing on his Ring camera. He didn’t feel comfortable sharing his video with us but did let our crews watch it. It shows a person running towards two cars parked in his shared driveway and using what appears to be a large kitchen knife to slash the tires.
“I walked out and I saw my neighbor’s car,” said Barnette. “All four of his tires were slashed and my back tire was slashed.”
Barnette was home when it happened, and heard his Ring camera going off. When he walked outside, he found a flat tire on his vehicle.
“It’s insane,” he said. “I mean, what makes someone do that? I mean, it makes one just kind of scratch their head and be like, ‘why?’”
Investigators don’t have an answer to that question. but they say Beatty reportedly had called the office at 8:03 a.m. asking for an appointment and was denied.
“The two cars over there, she got all four of those,” said Barnette. “There’s a neighbor just right down the street, she got three of theirs.”
Barnette put his spare tire on so he could drive to the nearest shop and figure out how much he’ll have to pay to get a new one. It’ll cost $142.
“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “It’s a cost that I don’t think anybody in the neighborhood really wants.”
Queen City News reached out to the dental business and a nearby tire repair shop. Both declined to comment.
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