Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Vandals strike downtown square
Police looking for recordings
FAYETTEVILLE — It appears some vandals had a good time at the downtown square over the weekend.
Someone spray-painted vulgarities on the walls and near the roof of the Old Post Office building. Police received the complaint Sunday, according to Sgt. Anthony Murphy.
Messages included “Kill the rich” and “I hate you,” along with others. The owner has been notified, Murphy said.
The building belongs to Arnold Holdings in Little Rock, registered to Mike Arnold, who bought it this summer for nearly $2.3 million.
Murphy said police are looking into whether any cameras recorded the vandals in the act.
“It had to be during the nighttime hours,” he said. “They climbed on top. I don’t know how they heck they got up top.”
Oktoberfest, the annual craft beer and live music event held on the square, went on Sunday with the vulgarities visible, according to event organizers.
The violators could face criminal misdemeanor mischief charges if identified, Murphy said. The three-story brick building, built in 1911, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Nearby businesses also discovered mischief Sunday morning. Shindig Paperie, just northwest of the square, had a large, concrete pot holding a topiary destroyed, business partner Christy Smith said.
“It would be pretty hard to smash this pot,” she said. “We’re kind of perplexed as to how in the world they did it.”
Two pumpkins were stolen from a display at David Adams Fine Jewelry, at the corner of Center and Block, said Anna Adams, sales manager.
“David was expecting smashed pumpkins this year, but we haven’t seen that yet,” she said, adding she worked very hard on the display. “We’re keeping one of our pumpkins inside now, our last one.”
Anyone with information can call Fayetteville police at (479) 587-3555.