A 67-year-old woman, Karen Cooke Lewis, was arrested on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, and charged with "misdemeanor damage to property" following a bizarre act of vandalism in Collettsville, North Carolina.
Local law enforcement took Lewis into custody after she was caught on the vehicle's high-definition camera system using a "board with nails on it" to intentionally scratch a parked Tesla Cybertruck.
The owner of the vehicle, Jason Hooper, expressed total confusion regarding the motive, stating he had no prior relationship with the woman.
** “I just couldn’t believe it was actually happening,”**** **Hooper remarked after reviewing the footage.
He noted that while he expected some backlash during the era when “Elon was part of DOGE and all that stuff,” he believed the heightened animosity toward the brand had largely subsided.
“I thought we had kind of gotten past that, and I had made it through unscathed. It was just kind of shocking,” he added.
The incident currently stands as a primary example of persistent "Tesla-centric" vandalism.
Its primary mandate involves a reminder of the vehicle’s integrated “onboard camera system,” which captured the female on video and allowed her to be “quickly identified” by investigators.
The case will also absorb and expand upon the growing trend of property damage targeting electric vehicles in the northern foothills.
A critical component of the legal fallout involves the recovery of repair costs for the Cybertruck’s stainless steel exterior.
One automotive expert cited the use of a “nailed board” as a primary driver for the high cost of restoration, as deep mechanical scratches on the exoskeleton are notoriously difficult to refinish.
One of the most immediate challenges facing the defendant is the undeniable nature of the evidence.
The Caldwell County Sheriff's Office stated they responded to the call for vandalism on “Sunday afternoon” and used the recordings to secure a warrant.
“When will they realize that Teslas have cameras that are recording them?”_ _the owner questioned, noting that the truck captured the entire event.
The establishment of this arrest follows Lewis being placed in the Caldwell County Detention Center under a “$1,000.00 secured bond.”
While the specific sentencing is still being finalized, the emphasis remains on protecting personal property.
Director-level deputies pledged to ensure that modern surveillance continues to act as a deterrent.
As Hooper noted after his weekend trip to the park: “The cameras are always watching, even when you think you’re in a quiet spot like Collettsville.”