Police Allege 18-Year-Old Lawrence Township Man Convinced Juveniles to Commit Retaliatory Crime

An 18-year-old Lawrence Township resident has been charged with allegedly directing four younger teens to splash paint on two vehicles belonging to people with whom they had had a disagreement, township police announced.

Alexander D. Dingwall of Alyce Court was charged with conspiracy to commit criminal mischief and employing a juvenile in the commission of a crime, according to Lt. Charles Edgar, police department spokesman.

Police allege that Dingwall convinced four other males, all 16-year-old Lawrence residents, to throw white paint onto a blue 2003 Ford F-150 pickup truck and a blue 2005 Jeep Liberty sport utility vehicle parked on Craven Lane, Edgar said.

He said the crime took place sometime between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Aug. 3.

Edgar said the four 16-year-olds were arrested within a couple weeks of the crime, while the charges against Dingwall were filed within the past week.

Edgar said Dingwall and the younger males frequented the area of Lawrenceville Elementary School on Craven Lane and at some point during the summer allegedly had a confrontation with the vehicles’ owners, a 72-year-old man and a 51-year-old man.

Combined damage to the two vehicles was estimated at about $4,000, according to Edgar.