Vandals at St. Mark’s
leave a costly mess
Vandals broke off the head of a statue of St. Francis and smeared feces on a large stained glass window at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Kapahulu Avenue Friday evening, a witness said.
"It's senseless," said Chris Cain, who helped file a police report on the vandalism. "I don't think there's any kind of motive."
Damage is estimated at more than $3,000.
A handful of volunteers spent more than six hours yesterday cleaning up the mess, Cain said.
He said the incident occurred in the church's garden. In addition to the broken 5-foot-tall statue and marred 10-by-16-foot stained-glass window, the vandals toppled several ginger and banana trees.
Cain said the statue's head still hadn't been found by late yesterday and may have been stolen.
"Think about how they (the vandals) could have gone home to a normal family and their parents not even know what happened," he said.
Cain said he was walking along Kapahulu Avenue with his two young children at about 6 p.m. Friday when he saw two boys in the garden. He said the boys looked to be about 15 years old and were wearing black T-shirts and shorts.
Cain said he called police while the boys were still in the garden. But before police arrived, the boys had jumped over the church's garden fence and fled.
"I was so frustrated there, not being able to do anything," he said.
