BEAVER DAM, Wis. — Police were able to identify, locate and obtain a confession from the two juvenile perpetrators of a Swan Lake Rotary Lights vandalism by using video footage from a newly installed camera system. It’s the second straight year of vandalism at Swan Lake after vandals drove a stolen golf cart through a lights display in 2019
Beaver Dam police said that a citizen reported seeing the door to the gingerbread house display kicked in with the doorknob broken while he was enjoying the lights display at Swan Park around 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Sheriff Dale Schmidt, the Chair of the Rotary Lights Committee, arrived to do maintenance and found Beaver Dam Officer Brad Konkel on the scene investigating. With damage limited to the door and lock, Sheriff Schmidt boarded up the door and replaced it the following day.
According to a release, Sheriff Schmidt reviewed video footage and located the perpetrators involved in the vandalism. Schmidt passed the footage on to Officer Konkel and within a few hours, Konkel was able to identify the suspects and obtain a confession.
Officials said this is the second year in a row that there has been vandalism at the park but also the second time perpetrators have been identified and held accountable for their actions.
Sheriff Schmidt said he would like to let the community know that regardless of criminal activity that may occur, it will not dissuade the Beaver Dam Rotary Club, or any of our volunteers who help to make this Christmas Light display what it is, from continuing to grow for years to come.
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