WILMINGTON — Wilmington police are investigating vandalism reported Thursday morning at J. W. Denver Williams Jr. Memorial Park in Wilmington.
Four picnic tables and four potted flowers were thrown into the pond sometime Wednesday night or Thursday morning.
Most of the tables were on the pond’s edge, but one was at the pond’s central island. The pots and flowers were near the bridge. One of the picnic tables was in at least two pieces – one had surfaced and the rest, presumably, had sunk.
“Someone went home very wet last night,” said Lori Kersey Williams, director of the Wilmington Parks and Recreation Department. “This needs to stop.”
Williams said the department and police had leads that they would follow and suspects to check.
She also asked that those with information to contact the WPD at 937-382-3833 to report information, which can be submitted anonymously.
This Thursday marked the second time in a week that the parks suffered from apparent vandalism.
Thursday, June 23, a trash can, a picnic table and one of the rocks in the handicapped-accessible fishing area near the pond were thrown into the water, according to park volunteers and the park’s Facebook page.
Volunteers cleaning up the mess Thursday morning said it would have taken at least two people to cause the damage, though they said it was more likely that several people and equipment were involved.
It “seems obvious there were several vandals involved,” read the park’s Facebook page. “Unfortunately, their crime is an insult to the many hours of volunteer effort and local business donations intended to make your parks terrific.”
Reach Nathan Kraatz at 937-382-2574, ext. 2510 or on Twitter @NathanKraatz.
