Holmesian logic catches vandals

SCITUATE, R.I., Oct. 31 (UPI) -- A Rhode Island policeman says he used Sherlock Holmes-like logic and universal product codes to catch egg-throwing vandals.

Retired graphic artist Joyce Langlais found broken eggs on her car and house in Scituate Oct.11, Deputy Police Chief Stephen B. Lang said.

Officer Keith Yeaw noticed another house that had been hit by eggs and found four identical empty egg cartons -- one in a backyard swimming pool and three in the street, The Providence Journal reported Saturday.

It turns out the cartons all came from Hudson Valley Farms in New York, and they all had matching UPCs.

Officer Yeaw used the Internet to track down the shipping route of the eggs from Hudson Valley Farms to the exact store that sold those eggs. The UPC code told the approximate time of day of the sale.

"A surveillance camera inside the store showed the face of one of the purchasers exiting the store," Lang said. Pictures were circulated at the local high school, and that led to the suspects.

Three juveniles and one adult student were charged with vandalism, a misdemeanor.