Police Seek Charges Against 17-Year-Old In Vandalism Of Plymouth Rock, 10 Other Landmarks

PLYMOUTH (CBS) -- Plymouth police are seeking charges against a 17-year-old boy in connection with 11 instances of vandalism, including red spray paint on Plymouth Rock, found the morning of Feb. 17. The boy has not been identified.

An investigation into vandalism revealed that 11 different properties were vandalized with red spray paint in the downtown and waterfront areas of Plymouth, police said. These properties included Plymouth Rock, the Pilgrim Maiden, the Forefathers monument, a town map and other decorative features in the town.

Police said they have been reviewing security footage, and that they now believe one person was responsible for all the instances of vandalism. The 17-year-old boy they have identified will be charged with 11 counts of vandalism and one count of trespassing.

"A lot of it was video-related -- the evidence we were able to secure with video surveillance tapes," Plymouth Police Chief Mike Botieri said. "It pointed us in the right direction and ultimately assisted us in solving the case."

The red spray paint was cleaned up within 24 hours due to help from the Plymouth DPW and town volunteers, police said.

The suspect was not previously known to police, they said, and it is unclear why he vandalized the monuments.

"There's no real explanation as to the reason why," Botieri said. "Just a young juvenile making a poor judgement call. That's all he really had to say. He didn't really identify that to us."

Police said they do not believe the vandalism to the 9/11 memorial in Plymouth a week later was committed by the 17-year-old suspect.