Don Brantham, a driver for the Shepeard Community Blood Center, cleans broken glass from behind the seat of one of the center's damaged vehicles. Two bloodmobiles and two vans were vandalized Tuesday night.BRANT SANDERLIN/STAFF

Vandals damage blood center vehicles

Web posted October 29, 1998

By Emily Sollie
Staff Writer

A Tuesday night vandalism attack at Shepeard Community Blood Center on Wrightsboro Road has severely crippled the center's blood collection capabilities.

Vandals smashed in windshields and side windows of both bloodmobiles, a truck used to transport supplies for blood drives and two delivery vans. They also cut the vehicles' gas lines and damaged the bloodmobiles' generators.

``This is a senseless act,'' said Shepeard director Volker Dube, crunching through the shattered glass in the parking lot. ``See? You can't drive that,'' he said, gesturing toward one of the bloodmobiles, both sides of the windshield knocked out.

The vandals somehow got past a locked gate and over a barbed-wire fence to reach the vehicles.

Tuesday's attack was the latest in a series of more minor vandalism incidents, involving both the main Shepeard office and Shepeard West, located on Davis Road. Monday night, in an apparent break-in attempt at Shepeard West, someone cut all the power lines and phone lines, Dr. Dube said.

Dean Graham, a generator service technician with South Power Systems, repairs the generator of one of the two blood mobiles at Shepeard Community Blood Center The center's fleet of vehicles including two blood mobiles, and two vans were heavily damaged Tuesday night by vandals. 10/28/98 Brant Sanderlin photo METRO.

That damage has been repaired, he said.

Dr. Dube would not go into detail about the prior incidents, which he said had been going on for about six months. He only called them ``bizarre'' and ``childish.''

Donor recruitment director Daryl Sims said one involved ``disturbing messages'' sent over the fax machine, but would not elaborate.

``We don't know if they're connected or not,'' he said. ``They may be unrelated, and nothing's been really critical until now.''

They did not have any idea who might be responsible for the incidents, nor could they think of a possible motive.

The local American Red Cross blood collection center has not suffered any attacks, said spokeswoman Dana Mishoe.

``We are aware of the Shepeard blood bank situation,'' she said. ``They've notified us for investigation purposes, to see if we've had any similar problems, but fortunately, we have not. We're shocked and horrified like they are.''

None of the previous incidents damaged the center's ability to collect blood. But with all their vehicles out of commission, Mr. Sims said, that capability is limited.

More than 60 percent of the center's donations come from on-location blood drives, he said. Shepeard is the sole provider of blood for Aiken Regional Medical Centers, Edgefield County Hospital, Burke County Hospital, Columbia Augusta Medical Center, University Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital and Wills Memorial Hospital. They also supply some of the blood for Medical College of Georgia, Eisenhower Medical Center and Augusta's Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.

The blood center's supply was already critically low because of increased need and decreasing donations, Mr. Sims said. To meet the hospitals' need, he said, they need to collect an average of 125 to 175 pints of blood every business day.

Shepeard is a member of a blood center network, Mr. Sims said, and normally they would be able to get blood from other centers in a critical situation. But blood supplies at most of the other centers are depleted as well because most of the excess had been used to treat victims of Hurricane Georges.

Officials are urging the community to donate at either the Wrightsboro Road center or the Davis Road center. The blood types most needed are O positive and negative, B positive, AB negative and A negative.

``The employees here -- at all levels -- are determined to persevere,'' Dr. Dube said. ``We're committed to meeting the need and supplying these hospitals.''

Emily Sollie can be reached at (706) 823-3340 or esollie@augustachronicle.com.