IOWA CITY – After more than four months of investigations, interviews and a public call for information, Iowa City police have charged three Cedar Rapids teenagers with vandalism at the city’s public library after the act itself was caught on surveillance cameras.
Austin Ferch, Anthony Hodges and Kaleb Wilcox, 16, all of Cedar Rapids, face fifth-degree criminal mischief charges in the April 25 spray painting of an outside wall at the Iowa City Public Library.
This comes as the same teenagers stand accused of damaging the Mount Vernon Memorial Cemetery, which was discovered on July 8. Mount Vernon police announced second-degree criminal mischief charges in early August.
Sgt. Denise Brotherton, of the Iowa City Police Department, said investigators worked for months to pinpoint who was responsible for the library damage. In July, police released surveillance video that showed images of multiple people walking up to an outside wall of the library and spray painting it.
“It’s very visible and defacing property,” said Brotherton on Wednesday afternoon, right after police announced the charges. “It’s not a public safety risk, such as with active assaults, but, obviously something we take seriously.”
Brotherton said investigators were still taking CrimeStopper tip calls at the time Mount Vernon police charged Ferch, Hodges and Wilcox in early August and that they were not “actively charging” the teenagers in the Iowa City case.
“They (investigators) eliminated people and it came down to the three people charged,” said Brotherton.
Susan Craig, library director, said Wednesday she was “very glad” police made arrests in the case.
“Vandalism is serious,” said Craig. “People said, ‘I hope they get these kids’ and there was a lot of general support.” Craig added she hoped the charges would serve as a deterrent to any future vandalism.
In Mount Vernon, police chief Mark Winder said the July cemetery vandalism was a large amount of damage.
“56 tombstones,” said Winder, a 25-year veteran of the police force. “One of those was a bench valued at about $12,000.”
Winder said they charged Ferch, Hodges and Wilcox through the teenagers’ connections with people in Mount Vernon.
“Someone overheard somebody talk about it and that helps,” said Winder of the teenagers’ initial set of charges. “We followed up with statements and were able to identify the individuals involved.”
Initial story:
IOWA CITY – After investigators said they looked into 17 tips for April vandalism at the Iowa City Public Library, three Cedar Rapids teenagers are now charged.
Those charged:
Austin Ferch, 16
Anthony Hodges, 16
Kaleb Wilcox, 16
Earlier this month, investigators charged Ferch, Hodges and Wilcox with second-degree criminal mischief for damaging more than 50 tombstones at the Mount Vernon Memorial Cemetery.
The library vandalism was actually captured on video surveillance. The damage, recorded April 25, consisted of spray-painting the outside of the library.
Note for tonight: Am updating story through the evening. Plan on final draft by 8:45 pm.
