WINDER, Ga. — Winder police have arrested three people for spray painting more than a dozen downtown sites with obscene words and symbols.
Channel 2′s Bryan Mims was in Winder, where police said numerous locations downtown were vandalized by graffiti early Monday morning. In total, police found more than a dozen locations that had been spray-painted with commercial-grade marking paint.
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They included a brand-new bridge on the Wilkins Greenway walking trail, The Barrow County Historic Courthouse, The Historic Gainesville Midland Train and Depot, a church, numerous downtown businesses, the Winder Masonic Lodge and other properties.
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21-year-old Lee Mason and 17-year-old Destineigh Vanwinkle were arrested. A 16-year-old juvenile has also been charged.
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All three have been charged with nine counts of interference with government property, six counts of criminal trespass and one count of criminal damage to property in the second Degree. Drug possession and theft charges are also pending as a result of items located during the search warrants that Winder Police executed as part of the investigation of these cases.
Mims talked to Winder police chief Jim Fullington, who said the community rallied to help track down the suspects.
“We had people calling to offer video footage, people calling to offer money to put out a reward,” Fullington said. “I’m not sure what the motivation was, it just looks like they just wanted to go out and make a mess across town.”
On Wednesday, police offered a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
“We had some patrol officers that had developed some small leads,” Fullington said. “We had a criminal analyst that had put together some information that turned out to be fruitful. We had some piece of video footage.”
The city’s public works crews and volunteers from All Pro Pressure Washing removed all of the graffiti.
Eli Robertson owns the Friends Grill, which was spared from any vandalism.
“It’s kind of disheartening,” Robertson said. “It’s a slap in the face to everyone who lives and works here. You try to make your hometown a nice place to live, and somebody comes and just messes things up for you.”
Fullington said the vandals acted with a wanton disregard for the community.
“I’d like to put out for them to appreciate what we have and not to take it for granted,” Fullington said. “Appreciate it, don’t deface it or do away with it.”
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