Staff Writer
HOULTON — So you’re out hanging with friends and a couple of them pull out cans of spray paint and begin to create their version of art. At the same time, another friend decides to carve their initials into the woodwork of a bench. It’s only a bench right. Who’s going to care?
Pioneer Times photo/Jennifer Ruth
CHIEF IS GETTING TOUGH WITH VANDALS — Houlton’s Police Chief Butch Asselin holds up a poster, which is currently circulating throughout town, in an effort to promote the department’s tip line. Chief Asselin urges the public to keep a close eye on area parks and to report any suspicious behavior. The tip line phone number is 694-3545.
From a distance, the colored “art” left behind covers the names of the generous people who helped raise money to build the amphitheater in Memorial Park. The bench could be used for those who visit the site to read names of loved ones lost during World War I, World War II, Vietnam and Korea. Those “friends” have committed a crime, which is going to cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in repairs. It’s up to you to help put an end to their careless and criminal acts.
Houlton’s Police Chief Butch Asselin said vandals, regardless of age, will be punished to the full extent of the law and the public is urged to report the crimes, along with the vandal, to the police department.
“Typically, vandalism is not caused by adults, but there have been incidents such as what we experienced last year on the Gateway Bridge where an adult and juvenile were involved in damaging the bridge,” explained Asselin. “The juveniles’ case has been resolved and he’s been ordered to pay restitution. The adult was expected to be resolved in the court system in June.”
That incident forced town officials to replace storyboards that had been ripped from the bridge. Since May, Chief Asselin said there’s been an increase in vandalism occurring in public parks and public buildings. In an effort to stop the occurrences, the Houlton Police Department is taking steps to make punishment more severe for those involved.
“We are going to work, as far as prosecuting anybody involved in any type of vandalism, prosecute them to the full extent of the law,” said Asselin. “The damage is in the thousands and we’re going to be asking for restitution and those situations where we can’t get restitution from the juveniles, depending on the age of the juvenile, we may be contacting the parents’ home-owner provider insurance about having their insurance company reimburse the town, or even taking the parents to small claims court to recoup the costs, otherwise, it’s the taxpayer who is footing the bill for this and they shouldn’t have to. Parents have got to know where their children are and as parents we are responsible for the actions of our children and they have to share the responsibility in what they are doing.”
Asselin said some preventative measures being taken involve more patrols, plain-clothes officers staking out potential targets as well as barring suspicious characters from the property that may be affected. Asselin said officers are not randomly picking people; rather, they are approaching people who are present when a recent vandalism act has been found.
“These are people that we have seen in the proximity of the vandalism that is occurring, therefore, we send the notices in the effort to stop the damage from happening,” he explained. “As a result of an incident that occurred a few days ago, a subject was warned to vacate the park and I had gone to the Chamber building and saw a group of kids there in behind and I went around and moved about 10 kids from along the wall of the amphitheater and one person I recognized as being previously warned and he acknowledged that he had been warned not to be there and he was charged with trespassing and we brought him here to the police department. He had already had some issues with conditions of release on a previous matter and we obtained a urine test from him and he tested positive for marijuana and now that individual is at the youth center in Charleston.”
Another arrest was made when a juvenile female was apprehended in the act of leaving something on the wall of the amphitheater. Asselin said the girl had also been previously warned and was charged with trespassing.
“The damage seems to be done by juveniles and the reason why we’re saying that is that there’s been graffiti that’s been done with paint and magic markers, and the things that have been left behind include names and little drawings that indicate that juveniles have been involved and not adults,” explained Asselin.
Besides increasing their presence in these areas, Asselin said police continue to move the kids around. He said if these youth need to find something more productive to do with their time.
“We’ve been moving the same group of teens around and around and they ask ‘where can we go?’ and ‘what can we do?’ and we tell them to find something more productive or go home,” said Asselin. “They come up with the excuse that they have nothing to do in town. There is a myriad of recreation for these kids and it’s up to these kids to participate and it’s not up to the town to be able to offer something for everybody.”
Asselin said posters have been distributed throughout town with the tip line … if people see something, call in and use the tip line, but if they see acts occurring, use the regular business line, which is on the poster. There is also the bicycle patrol and they have the advantage of getting into areas quietly and that will be an effective tool.
One thing that parents can do to help prevent these occurrences is to keep close tabs on their children. There is a curfew in effect in the town of Houlton; however, Asselin said the incidents of recent vandalism are occurring during daylight hours.
“Knowing who your kids are associating with and knowing where they are at all times can help,” said Asselin. “When they come back home after being out with their friends, ask them what they’re doing. Where have they been and if they find out that they’ve been involved in some activity, handle it as a parent and also report it to the police department and we will work with the parent to assist the child. Ultimately what we want is for these kids are to grow up and be responsible.
“But we can’t do it by ourselves,” he explained. “We will work with the parents and we have other resources available to us for the parents.”
Asselin praised Houlton as a great community. He said people do take pride in their parks and he urged people who might see something to call the police.
“If you have information on who might be causing the damage, by all means, use the tip line and help us out,” he said. “You can text us. I let it ring, I don’t answer it. I listen to the message and take it from there.”
All calls are anonymous. To report a crime to the tip line call 694-3545. To contact the Houlton Police Department call 532-2287.
