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August 7, 2006

Update: Vandalism probed at water office in Big River area / Photo

Journal photo / Bob Thayer
Vandals struck all sides of the building. The front, which faces the road, is shown above.

WEST GREENWICH -- State authorities are searching for clues, fingerprints and other physical evidence at a government office in the Big River Management Area where vandals spray-painted swastikas and obscenities over the weekend.

A state employee discovered the vandalism on the state Water Resources Board field office building at 612 Nooseneck Hill Road yesterday morning after receiving calls from nearby residents.

“It appears the building was not broken into, but there’s a fair amount of graffiti,’’ said Capt. James Swanberg, the Southern District commander for the Rhode Island State Police. “It’s not the normal graffiti you find in the city. This is more vandalism than tagging. It looked like someone had a mission.”

The markings were in black spray paint and found on all sides of the building, Swanberg said. The field office mailbox was smashed, the mail inside the box was scattered over the front lawn, and some of it was destroyed. It included several rent checks from the 37 commercial properties that the water board owns.

The front door was not broken, but some window screens were torn. The building, an old white Cape Cod, is the agency’s field office in the Big River Management Area, an 8,600-acre expanse that stretches from West Greenwich to Coventry, said Juan Mariscal, the board’s general manager.

State authorities believe the crime happened sometime between late Saturday night and early Sunday morning. It was discovered by Elaine Maguire, the board’s property manager and the only person who works at that location. She was not there when the incident occurred, police said.

“I know she [Maguire] was doing evictions on the property,” Swanberg said. “We are looking at all different angles.”

-- Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks

Mariscal said, “The rent checks were destroyed and strewn across the front lawn. All four sides of the building predominated [with graffiti] plus vulgar or threatening language. It is language I would never use. It’s very graphic and disgusting. Something you’d hear in a movie. They may be X-rated statements.”

He said there were other threatening messages, such as “Leave us alone,’’ “We are coming for you’’ and “Tax this.’’

“I would think we are very good neighbors. We have demonstrated we are very good neighbors,’’ Mariscal said. “It must be someone that has a gripe with the Water Resources Board. I can’t even begin to imagine who that might be.’’

-- Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:56 PM | Permalink

August 7, 2006

Update: Vandalism probed at water office in Big River area / Photo

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