Over $5,000 In Damage To Sculpture Along First Street
posted March 7, 2007
General Sessions Court Judge Christie Mahn Sell on Wednesday asked a prosecutor to check to see if a new state law dealing with gangs applies to two 21-year-old men charged with damaging sculptures along First Street downtown.
Prosecutor Ben Boyer said he will check to see if the law will be applied to the cases of Jason L. Gabel of 6110 Champion Road and Andy Lee Hampton of Vero Beach Avenue in Rossville, who were with three juveniles when they were taken into custody.
Gabel and Hampton are due back in court before Judge Sell on Friday. Gabel was ill on Wednesday, but Judge Sell bound over charges against Hampton of felony vandalism and contributing to the deliquency of a minor to the Grand Jury.
She also raised the bond for Hampton to $20,000 and he was taken into custody.
Judge Sell said, "It is pitiful when something like this happens. It robs the entire community."
Bruce Lockhart, security guard at the Museum Bluffs condos, said around midnight on Jan. 8 he heard a commotion out front. He said he then heard a big bang.
He said he went outside and found that a group including Gabel, Hampton and three juveniles (two of whom were girls) had knocked over a portable toilet. He said he made them pick it back up.
The guard said Gabel was holding a glass plate and making like he was going to drop it, saying, "Whoop, whoop." He said he was acting "kind of cocky."
The guard said he decided to call police, noting, "I'll get his little butt."
He said the group started across the Walnut Street Bridge, and police officers were summoned to both sides of the bridge. The group was apprehended in the middle of the bridge and brought back to the area of the condos.
Mr. Lockhart said after they had started on the bridge, he noticed damage to several of the sculptures along First Street. He said pieces of the sculptures were strewn on the ground.
A police officer said when the group was caught on the bridge, some of the youths were carrying pieces of the sculpture.
Sculpture Cessna Decosimo said the total damage to the sculptures was over $5,000.
He said a cat piece sculptured by his wife has been removed from the sculpture park because of the danger to the work.
Mr. Decosimo said afterwards that the destruction caused by vandals is a setback "to the great city we are longing to become."
He said it is important there are "consequences" when vandals are caught.
For damage of $1,000 or more, an offender can get 1-5 years in prison, officials said.
Officials of Allied Arts said four glass discs were broken out of "Chicagowhatknot" by Nicole Bass of Chicago. Some metal bands were also bent.
Also, two chunks were knocked out of the piece called "Poise." It was created by a sculptor from England.
Also, part of the cat sculpture by Elizabeth Rogers Decosimo was knocked over and landscaping around it was torn up.
The city pays the sculptors to lease their work for 18 months. All are for sale at the end of the lease period.
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