Reward offered in Kellogg vandalism
A body camera image of some of the damage that was done at the Teeters Field concession stand last week. Along with damaging the LED screen, someone attempted to gain entry to the building and damaged the rolling metal door and the rubber seal that keeps moisture out of it.
Courtesy of KPD
KELLOGG –– The Kellogg Police Department is investigating the attempted break-in and vandalism of the brand new drinking fountain/water bottle fill station at the new Teeters Field concession stand.
According to KPD Chief Paul Twidt, the incident occurred sometime between July 23 and July 27.
One of the features that came with the $3,000 combo water fountain/fill station is a small LED screen that informs the users of how many bottles-worth of water has been distributed – Which appeared to be the main target of the perpetrator’s attack.
Twidt also mentioned that on or around the same time, someone attempted to break into the concession stand’s metal roll-up door. While they were unable to gain entry to the brand-new facility, the rubber seal and door were damaged.
According to Twidt, security cameras were set to be installed earlier this week, just days after the incident(s) took place.
Twidt was made aware of the situation last Friday and immediately went to work establishing a time frame to help with the investigation. Thankfully, the city has been hard at work trying to get the new concession stand fully operational by the time fall athletics resume at Teeters, so there were several people who had worked on the building who were able to tell Twidt that the damage wasn’t done prior to July 23.
Thousands of people had been in Kellogg for both the Kellogg High School all-class reunion as well as the SilverHoops 3-on-3 basketball tournament – both events majorly centered around Teeters Field, but Twidt has been able to rule out the possibility of the damage happening during either event – which leads him to believe that the perpetrator is a local and all the more disappointing.
“Based upon when we were called and the reports we have from people working on finishing the stand, it happened sometime after all-class and before 3-on-3,” he told the News-Press. “So I think that really reduces the possibility of it being someone from out of town, which is really frustrating that someone from here would potentially do that.”
Twidt put out a post on social media offering a reward for anyone with knowledge of the perpetrator(s), and while dealing with vandalism isn’t new for the chief, it’s the location that really has him and many others up in arms.
“The work they’ve done up there at the concession stand is very nice, the water station was really nice,” he said. “There’s just no rhyme or reason for this. There’s no money in the water fountain, or the concession stand. This was just someone being destructive for the sake of being destructive. It’s just a shame.”
The city of Kellogg, largely through donated time, materials, and funds, has made more than a million dollars in upgrades at Teeters Field – all of which are expected to be completed by this fall.
KPD is offering up to a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the prosecution of those involved.
If you have any information on this crime, please call the Kellogg Police Department at (208) 784-1131.