Nearby, on London Circle, mailboxes were knocked down.

Kriegel estimates 40 property owners may have been affected by a driver who plowed through the tony development in what police say was a Nissan Pathfinder.

“If you saw the marks, you would be surprised it wasn’t a bigger vehicle,” she said.

Kriegel and five other country club residents filed a complaint with Delaware State Police, who have charged 21-year-old Colby Hopkins of Lewes with inattentive driving, leaving the scene of an accident and failure to report an accident.

She estimates the damage to her lawn, according to her landscaper, to be as much as $1,000.

Kriegel said her yard needs to be dug up and re-leveled because of damage to swales that ensure downward water flow. She also said some sprinkler heads might need to be replaced.

She said police responded quickly to the complaint. They told her they had the suspect in custody and that Hopkins said he would pay for the damages.

Attempts to reach Hopkins at press time were not successful.

Jim Scott with Guardian Property Management, which oversees maintenance in the development, said he was out of town when the incident occurred. He said he surveyed the damage, which he called widespread.

“The damage is done. I’ve seen the damage. There’s an extreme amount of yards affected: swales and curbs. There was also up- heaving of grass and soil,” he said.

Milton Roth, a London Circle North resident, said Hopkins admitted he knocked down Roth’s mailbox and fixed it.

“It’s kind of interesting. We had no idea what happened. Then, the next day, a young man knocked on our door and said he knocked down the mailbox. He asked us if we wanted him to replace it,” said Roth.

He estimates the damage to be anywhere from $50 to $100.

“We were actually pleased he came by. We were satisfied with results. He already replaced it. It’s not cemented in, but he dug a hole and put a support in it,” said Roth.

Kriegel, however, is still waiting for her front lawn to be repaired.

“We’d like to know what charges we need to file to get the claim taken care of,” she said.
The problem, said Kriegel, is that insurance adjusters told her they might not honor claims based on the charges that were filed.

Kriegel said now she is considering filing additional charges.

“A big part of the story is that the kid who was doing this joyriding in his stepfather’s vehicle was charged with inattentive driving, leaving the scene of an accident and failure to report an accident.

“I’m not getting a whole lot out of the police. The insurance adjuster is suggesting to us they may not agree with those charges and not pay any damages,” she said. “It’s not exactly an accident,” she said.

Delaware State Police Cpl. Thomas Guarini said, “I wouldn’t see them being able to deny it if the police report states he drove on the property.”

Guarini said the incident is being investigated as a motor vehicle accident. “The driver lost control over several lawns in the area,” he said.

Kriegel disagrees.

“It’s clear to me it was vandalism. How could someone be this stupid unless they were intoxicated? But he wasn’t charged with that as far as I know,” said Kriegel. She said Hopkins should have been charged with criminal mischief or criminal misconduct.