COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF) – There are multiple vandalism reporting signs around the Goodale Park in Grovetown, but that didn’t stop someone from damaging the park’s restroom.
“You know this is public property, it’s a place where everybody should feel safe” said park visitor Ian Brown.
People who come to the park often say the park is mostly accompanied by teens everyday and though this not the first time something like this has happened, it needs to stop.
“This is like a place for the community to come, you don’t have any places like this is, especially when it’s drama free and where the kids could just play, like, I could be on the court and my son and my daughter be on the playground,” said parent Paige Parkinson.
According to the Grovetown Department of Public Safety, the vandalism was discovered Sunday by a park employee. Officers observed damage to the bathroom sinks, stall divider walls that had been knocked down, and much more.
“I haven’t really seen anything strange, you know, but I know that things do happen around here, and yeah, anything can really happen,” said Brown.
Grovetown Mayor Gary Jones posted to Facebook about the incident—he says, the park has cameras and “the person responsible will be prosecuted to the maximum extent allowed, adult or juvenile.”
“Most definitely teach them a lesson because it’s not cool, kids have to understand once you get to a certain age you have to be accountable for your actions, and how people perceive you to a certain extent. So give them disciplinary action, but not to the fullest extent, because you don’t want to ruin his future because obviously he’s coming here to escape from whatever,” said Parkinson.
Parkinson and Brown both say the park is still a safe environment. The investigation is still ongoing.