Reward offered for memorial marker vandal’s arrest

It’s been nearly three weeks since several memorial markers were smashed and vandalized on South Chestatee Street last month. But local citizens aren’t ready to forget anytime soon.
And they are opening up their wallets in an attempt to catch the individual, or individuals, responsible for the destruction that was discovered on the stretch of roadway from McDonalds to Dairy Queen the morning of Friday, June 16.
“They are offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible,” said Dahlonega Chief of Police George Albert.
Those $2,000 worth of funds, which were donated to the Memorial Marker Committee are less a product of a coordinated fundraising effort and more of a natural reaction to a crime that many feel is beyond detestable.
“It’s a collection of people, different folks who offered from $10 to $1,000 worth of donations,” said Memorial Marker Committee Chairman Paul Hanson. “They want to help find out who did it.”
Soon after the crime, Hanson heard from many people looking to contribute to the cause of tracking down the culprit.
“Everybody we talked to was just flabbergasted,” he said. “… It’s just like desecrating a grave site. Everyone who has a memorial marker out there has served their country admirably.”
The Memorial Marker Project is a source of pride for many in the community as every patriotic holiday is marked by hundreds of crosses emblazoned with the names of local veterans.
The program began more than 20 years ago with just a few flags and has since expanded to a reported 1,008 markers.
It was either during the late hours of June 15 or the early morning darkness of June 16 that a total of 10 markers were destroyed.
“They broke several of them, or pulled them up out of the ground and threw them into the little creek by Thompson Circle,” said Albert the morning after the crime.
Last Friday, Albert said the Dahlonega Police Department had no new leads in the case but hopes word of a potential reward will help “generate some traction.”
Meanwhile, Hanson said that whether or not an arrest occurs, the reaction from the public is sure to give the perpetrator some pause.
“If nothing else he’ll say ‘Boy I stirred up a hornet’s nest for this,’” said Hanson.
Anyone with any potentially helpful information regarding the acts of memorial marker vandalism is encouraged to contact Albert at 706-482-2716 or galbert@dahlonega.gov.