A reward will be offered for the arrest and conviction of vandals who destroyed a village memorial last month, officials said.
Vandals defaced a plaque dedicated to longtime village employee Joan Allen, who died last year. Later, vandals uprooted a tree planted next to the plaque in Allen’s memory and threw it into nearby Willow Pond, officials said.
Although the village has since replaced the tree and repaired the plaque, the vandals have not been caught. To spur residents to help solve the crime, trustees agreed in a 4-2 vote last week to establish a reward fund to find the vandals.
“When senseless and mean-spirited vandalism occurs, and the police can’t find anything, it’s time for a different action,” said Trustee Robert LaMontagne, who proposed the fund.
Some officials are not convinced the reward will work. Trustee Ronald Seick said the reward and subsequent publicity would “only encourage these punks to keep doing this stuff.”
None of the money for the fund will come from village coffers. Instead, funds will be solicited from local businesses or residents, LaMontagne said. There is already $600 pledged to the fund, said village President Gary Pretzer.
Anyone with information about the crime is urged to call police at 325-2808.
More Top Picks Best Electric Kettles For Arthritis Hands