Office of the Mayor

WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND

Woonsocket Mayor Offering $500 Reward for

Information About Middle School Graffiti Vandalism

WOONSOCKET, R.I.: Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt announced today that the City is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and successful prosecution of the individual(s) who vandalized with graffiti the Villa Nova Middle School. Woonsocket Police believe that the vandalism occurred sometime during late Saturday night (April 23rd) through 1:00 a.m. on Sunday morning (April 24th). Graffiti property damage to areas of the Middle School that included the retaining wall and adjacent skate park, consisted of long stretches of red and black painted stick figures, the word "angel," and obscene gestures.

Any person with information regarding this act of vandalism should immediately contact the Woonsocket Police Department and communicate with either Detective Joseph Brazil at 401-597-5769 or Detective Michael Velino at 401-597-5804. Individuals providing such information to the City will remain anonymous.

The Mayor stated, "We are extremely disappointed to see this type of criminal vandalism happening at our Middle School and we are asking responsible citizens to give us information about who did this, so that we can arrest and prosecute them." The Mayor added, "We put considerable time and effort into keeping Woonsocket beautiful for our residents and having to scrub down, or paint over graffiti, is costly, time consuming and sometimes leads to building damage. Graffiti makes neighborhoods and public areas look run down and erodes our community spirit. We are not going to tolerate those who deface our public or private property with graffiti."

Police Captain Adam Remick stated, "It is unfortunate that this type of behavior occurred at our Middle School, a place where our children engage in education and recreation, and where they learn about respect for others. We would appreciate any information that leads to the arrest of whoever is responsible for this vandalism."