Courtesy photo / Pictured is one of the basketball courts at Lakemont Park following reported vandalism last week at a Halloween event.
Four break-ins in the past year have resulted in more than $100,000 in damages at Lakemont Park, according to park President Andrea Cohen.
Severe damage was done to the four basketball courts, damage was done to go-carts and a holiday lights display, while two projectors were stolen in connection with a Halloween event at the end of last week, Cohen said.
“I’m very disappointed,” Cohen said in a phone interview Wednesday. “It’s very sad that people think that breaking into a park is acceptable behavior.”
Logan Township police are looking for the perpetrators involved in three of the vandalism incidents, the latest of which occurred Saturday, according to Logan Township Police Chief Dave Hoover.
The damage to the courts resulted from vandals using go-carts, bikes and perhaps a scooter on them, according to Hoover.
Courtesy photo / In this photo from the Logan Township Police Department’s Facebook page, a scooter left behind by vandals at Lakemont Park is seen in police possession.
A police department Facebook post shows a picture of curving skid marks on one court.
Restoring the courts to their prior “pristine” condition will be expensive, as it will require stripping the surfaces, recoating them, then painting sponsor names, he said.
The go-carts used on the courts during the first incident in April had been stored in a pavilion, outside the go-cart track enclosure, Hoover said.
The go-carts have gasoline-powered, lawnmower-type engines and don’t require a key to start, Hoover said.
Perpetrators apparently have a key to the park itself, as evidenced by a gate being left open after one of the incidents and by vandals having left a bike and scooter behind after the most recent incident, according to Hoover.
Courtesy photo / In this photo from the Logan Township Police Department’s Facebook page, a bike left behind by vandals at Lakemont Park is seen in police possession.
The Facebook post includes a picture of the bike and scooter.
Police have “a name” and will be following up, Hoover said.
Leaving the bike and scooter behind Saturday indicates that the perpetrators either stole them or fled the scene quickly because they feared being caught — or both, according to Hoover.
Anyone with additional information can contact Cprl. Tyler McClellan at 814-949-3364, according to the Facebook post.
It’s “to be determined” whether insurance will cover park losses, Cohen said.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.
