Police nab youth who vandalized memorial

Bonners Ferry Police said Tuesday they will charge three boys — ages 15 and 16 — with spray painting the veterans monument with “MSD” in Veterans Memorial Park next to Boundary County Library. The trio also was responsible for vandalism at the Boundary County Middle School.

“One of them specifically of the three was responsible for doing both the junior high and the memorial by himself,” said Bonners Ferry Deputy Police Chief Joel Minor. “The others were there, but didn’t do it.”

The boy responsible for the spray painting was taken to Region One, a juvenile detention center. He will be sentenced at 10 a.m. Oct. 7.

“We had a lot of help from the community with people calling in with anything they heard,” said Minor. “The final straw was one of the mothers came in and said she thought her son did it. Without the community we couldn’t have done it this fast.”

After the vandalism occurred late last month, three veterans groups and several individuals offered reward money totaling more than $2,000. In addition, Purple Frog Tattoo owner Christian McCarthy in Bonners Ferry offered a $100 tattoo, $50 piercing and $25 in body jewelry to the person who provides information that leads to an arrest.

Minor is not sure who the reward money would be given to yet.

The boys will each be charged with two counts of malicious property damage, which is a misdemeanor. Damage would have to be greater than $1,000 for the incident to be a felony, Officer Don Moore said.