Vandals spray black paint over Veterans Park memorials

ALBANY — Vandals used a can of black spray paint to deface the World War II and Vietnam War monuments and the memorial dedicated to Spc. 4 James Worthy in Veterans Park, Albany police discovered Saturday afternoon.

Albany Police Department Lt. Tony Moore and other officers responded to the park around 3 p.m. after receiving a call about the graffiti. The officers found an empty paint can near the World War II memorial and the apparent lid to the can at the base of the Vietnam memorial.

“With all the things these young people have to do here, they spend their time doing this,” Moore said as he surveyed the graffiti. “We’ll investigate the scene and hopefully look at video footage to see if we can determine who might have done this. We’d like to ask anyone who has any information about this crime to contact the department (at 229-431-2100).”

Defacement of the monuments is likely to put a damper on Monday’s planned Memorial Day celebration in the community.

“This is sickening,” said Ward III Albany City Commissioner B.J. Fletcher, who was working at the nearby Hilton Garden Inn and called police when she saw the graffiti. “I hope that we’re able to catch the thugs responsible and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. Hopefully, this is one time that having security cameras around the city will pay off.”

Fletcher said a reward of more than $1,000 had been offered previously when the memorial was defaced, but that no one had come forward with information.