558 N. Main St., Prineville, OR 97754 | (541) 447-6205
Less than two weeks after the Circle of Honor Veterans Memorial was vandalized, the vandal has been caught.
The memorial, which graces the west end of Ochoco Creek Park, was damaged on Jan. 24. The Desert Storm plaque - one of five, brick-encased plaques that line the top of the Circle of Honor base - was broken off and left resting on the ground beside the memorial.
According to Prineville Police Lieutenant Ray Cuellar, the Prineville Police Department was tipped off by a witness after a story about the damaged memorial aired, Jan. 27, on the local KOHD news segment "Crime Stoppers."
Following a subsequent investigation, the Prineville Police Department arrested a juvenile male, on Feb. 4, and charged him with criminal mischief 1.
The juvenile will likely face community service time and restitution, Cuellar said, and his parents will be liable for the cost of repairs, which are estimated to be about $1,500.
Currently, there is no definite time frame for restoring the memorial, however work is already under way.
"The monument (Desert Storm plaque) is in a secure location and is being repaired at this point," said Crook County Veteran Services Officer Angie Gilley. "Some of the marble work on the plaque was chipped a bit."
Once it is repaired, the plaque will be reattached to the rest of the memorial - possibly more securely than before.
"There may be some more fortification to it," Gilley said. "I know there will be additional measures taken to secure it."
Now that he has been caught, Gilley hopes the juvenile will internalize the significance of the memorial and his actions.
"I hope, when this is all said and done, that the individual who did this will have a better understanding of what this memorial means to people and what his actions meant to Veterans and the families of Veterans," she said.
A fund has been set up to take donations to aid in the repairs of the Veterans memorial. Checks should be made payable to the Crook County Parks and Recreation Foundation and can be dropped off at the Crook County Veteran Services Office or the Crook County Parks and Recreation District Office. All donated money will be used for repairs to the memoria.
