Arrests Made In Statue Vandalism
by Dan Voigt
POSTED: July 22, 2008
After an extensive investigation into a vandalism incident on June 21, Emmetsburg Police officers arrested three Emmetsburg juveniles late last week.
According to Emmetsburg Police Chief Eric Hanson, juvenile referrals were issued to the three juveniles, aged nine and 10, on charges of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, a Class D Felony.
The arrests are in connection with the destruction of two statues at the Veterans’ Memorial on South Broadway in Emmetsburg. An officer on patrol discovered three of the four statues tipped over during the early morning hours of June 21. Two of the three statues were damaged beyond repair, while the third statue was not damaged and a fourth statue was not damaged.
Damages to the statues were estimated at approximately $4,000. Response of the community to the crime was immediate, with residents and businesses starting a Veterans Memorial Reward Fund, which grew to over $1,500 in the weeks following the incident.
Since the incident occurred, Police received numerous tips and calls regarding the crime and conducted numerous interviews before issuing the juvenile referrals to the three individuals.
After being arrested, the three youths were released to the custody of their parents and will be entered into the custody of the Juvenile Court system, at which time the court will review their situations.
According to Chief Hanson, the juvenile referrals are considered alleged accounts of involvement, until proven to be delinquent in the juvenile court systems.
Member Comments
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Christopher
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07-24-08 7:01 PM
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I don't live there, but it sounds like these statues are about 6 foot tall, made of concrete and are on 3-4 foot square bases. Can you tell me how a 9 or 10 year old is going to push over a statue that likely weighs 20 times there weight. Has anyone brought into consideration that there was a $1500 reward for information leading to an arrest. $1500 dollars to a 9 or 10 year old is an awful lot of money. Lastly, I hear the 9 year old wasn't even in town when this happened and he has 5 witnesses to the fact. Before anyone starts patting the officers on the back after they pulled a terrified 9 year old out of his house to interrigate him, the facts should be looked at. I know everyone wants to find the person/persons that did this, but convicting 3 kids with something they likely couldn't have commited without the help of an adult is quite mind boggling.
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