$500 reward offered for info about vandalism at Sikeston park

SIKESTON, Mo. (KBSI) – The Sikeston Parks and Recreation is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for vandalism of a bathroom in a park.

Vandalism in Sikeston parks has become commonplace in the community, according to the Sikeston Parks and Recreation Department.

Graffiti and spray paint, buckets of spilled paint, both on playgrounds and pavilions/ball quads, damaged park amenities, busted, broken and stuffed toilets, tire ruts on grass and chat parking lots, public dumping of home interiors in parking lots and open play areas, kicking in of doors/frames, theft of pipes in restrooms are just some of the incidents park employees deal with weekly as they work to maintain the city’s parks and playgrounds.

Repairing damage caused by vandalism costs money in staff time and in replacement or repair of property.

Sikeston Parks and  Recreation asks the public if they see vandalism happening, call 911.

The police need to know when vandalism is happening so they can catch the culprits.

If you see vandalism after it has happened call 573-475-3725 to leave the information so employees can photograph and report the damage to police and work to clean up the vandalism. An example includes obscenities sprawled on playground equipment.

“The faster we catch those who feel the need to vandalize and the faster we can clean it up, the less vandalism we see. Your awareness is very important in the preservation of our parks and community,” according to the Parks and Recreation Department.