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Cuyahoga Valley National Park Vandalism Suspects Identified

Ideastream Public Media | By Anna Huntsman

Published April 17, 2019 at 4:57 PM EDT

A spray-painted message on a wooden boardwalk in the Stumpy Basin area of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The park has identified the suspects involved in the vandalism.

The Cuyahoga Valley National Park is thanking the public for helping to successfully identify suspects who vandalized property in the park.

A post from the park’s Facebook pageTuesday shows graffiti in the Stumpy Basin area along the Towpath Trail.

Some of the vandalism that occurred at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park on April 15, 2019.

The suspects engraved initials and spray-painted messages and images on a wooden boardwalk.

Public Information Officer Pamela Barnes said the park received many tips from the public and identified the suspects within 24 hours of the Facebook post. She said the incident is complicated because it happened in a historical conservation area.

“It’s a very well-traveled path in the park, but also, the canal has historic remnants that are all along the entire length of the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail," Barnes said. "So whenever you couple vandalism with historic resources on top of recreation resources, that just compounds the issue.”

Barnes said park officials are evaluating the cost of removing the vandalism and whether the property will need any restoration.