SUMTER, S.C. — Nearly $100,000 is what police say is the damage caused to a public park in Sumter. Right now the department is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with information leading to an arrest.
“I'm still mad about it,” lifetime Sumter resident Stephanie Miller explained about her reaction when she heard that Patriot Park, a staple in the community, was vandalized early this week.
“It adds a lot because there's the sport teams that come in and play so it's out of town people coming into Sumter, buying food from our restaurants, using our hotels, using our gas stations, so it brings revenue into the area,” Miller said about the park. “So it's important. All of this is important and it's important to give people something to do.”
Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark says his officers were called to the scene around 7:30 a.m. on Monday after a walker discovered a possible break-in.
“There was some structural damage, some spray painting of the park. We're told that it's in excess of or close to $100,000 worth of damage,” Roark shared. “We’re very concerned. It’s a family park. It’s sort of hidden away a little bit from eyesight from the roadway. We will continue to check the park. We're really asking for people that may have seen something or know of something that if they could please come forward.”
Roark says there were operational camera, although they were an older model. When the suspect(s) vandalized the scene, Roark says they took the DVR when they destroyed the camera.
“As a community, both the city and the county, has spent an inordinate amount of money to provide points of recreation for people,” Roark said about the public space, which is owned by the county but is within city limits. “We're trying to provide venue as entertainment for our citizens. And when we build something that's nice, we all want to take care of it because it makes the community better. So we hope that the individuals that are responsible have conversations with others who will share that with us in order for us to bring them in for their deeds.”
Now, the department is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Sumter County released a statement about the incident to News19 about the incident.
“Our parks and facilities provide recreation for hundreds of thousands of people year round and we’re proud of our ongoing commitment to quality of life,” the statement reads. “It’s unfortunate when a vandal or vandals break and damage what ultimately belongs to the public and exists to serve the public. What happened at Patriot Park isn’t indicative of how the overwhelming majority of our residents and visitors treat our facilities. We’re cleaning up and repairing and moving forward and fully support law enforcement’s efforts in bringing justice to those responsible.”
Sumter Police says officers found damage to “equipment and electronics including the heating and air conditioning units, computers and camera/security system and to the concession stand and various supplies. Damage also was found in the restrooms.
The vandals destroyed the concession stands, so Miller says when she found out about that, she stepped up to help. Miller owns What The Food Truck! and showed up at the last minute after a soccer game to feed nearly 80 people during the game.
“We enjoyed being there, but I didn't like the circumstances of being there,” Miller said about feeding people at the park. “People like me shouldn't have what I have. But I ...God gave it to me so I just like to take what I was given and then pass it on to the people that I can.”
When it comes to finding out who committed the crime, Miller says she hopes the money provides an incentive for people with information to come forward.
“I just really like for us to stop fighting so much and for all this nonsense…because this money has to come from somewhere and, you know, I pay taxes,” Miller explained. “My tax money is gonna go to fixing what was messed up. So I'd like for my tax money to go to the schools or my tax money to go to improvements, not fixing something that was already fine.”
You can contact CrimeStoppers anonymously at 1-888-CRIME-SC or by visiting P3Tips.com.