Police in the state of Washington have detained 23 people who allegedly threw a party in a veteran’s empty home and caused an estimated $50,000 in damage.
Piere County Sheriff’s Deputies detained those in question, aged between 14 and 20, after deputies caught the individuals hosting a party at an empty home owned by Michael Legue, a retired U.S. Air Force tech sergeant. The incident took place last week.
“On July 18th around 9:15pm, deputies were dispatched to a home listed for sale in the Graham area where 23 juveniles had broken in, vandalized the whole home, and were having a party,” police said in a statement posted to their website.
Police told Fox 13 Seattle that they have not made formal arrests or identified which individuals caused the destruction.They said in their statement that they had forwarded the proposed burglary and malicious mischief to the prosecutor’s office for review.
Military.com reached out to Pierce County Sheriff’s office for further information. No response was received by press time.
Veteran Already Sold Home, Moved When Party Occurred
Legue, who was formerly stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, told Fox 13 Seattle that the home was two weeks away from closing following a sale. The partygoers caused $50,000 in damage, he said.
He claimed that the revelers had covered most of the rooms in the two-story house in graffiti, broke the windows, and made holes in the wall. He said some of the graffiti involved hate speech, but did not specify what it said.
He added that his sister-in-law showed him the damage on a FaceTime call while he was in his new home in Oklahoma.
“It was maddening,” Legue said. “I wanted to be here.”
Veterans are not more vulnerable to burglary than the general civilian population, but they have higher homeownership rates and trend older—which can make them susceptible to these types of crimes.
In November 2025, a 79-year-old military veteran shot and killed a naked intruder during an attempted burglary in Studio City, Los Angeles. The intruder attacked George Karkoc, a Vietnam veteran, and in the fight Karkoc broke his leg, ankle and hip.
Meanwhile, there have been concerns about teenage delinquency across the country in recent months, including takeovers in which large groups of youths gather to party, using social media to organize their social activities.
Legue returned to his old home and has tried to clean up the damage. He said he is seeking accountability and financial restitution for the damage.
“Whoever did the spray-painting and the damage, if we can prove it, they need to be held responsible,” Legue said. “Every kid that was out here—every kid named on that report—like, their parents, we’re going after them for damages.”
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