(SALEM, OR) — State Representative David Gomberg has offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals responsible for vandalizing six state parks and waysides in Lincoln County.
Between 10:00 p.m. on Friday, August 21 and 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, August 22, multiple state park facilities along a 20-mile stretch of our coastline were methodically and maliciously vandalized.
Locked doors in men’s and women’s restrooms were broken open, doors pulled off stalls, paper dispensers ripped from walls, sinks damaged, toilets shattered, plumbing broken, mirrors smashed, and fires started. Restrooms at Gleneden Beach, Fogarty Creek, Boiler Bay, Rocky Creek, Devils Punchbowl, and Agate Beach parks or waysides sustained serious damage and are partially or fully closed. The damage north and south of Cape Foulweather was discovered Saturday by park rangers.
Some restroom buildings remain entirely closed. Others such as Agate Beach Wayside in Newport are closed on the men’s side, but the women’s side was not damaged and remains open. Two portable toilets were set up near the Agate Beach restroom on Monday. Parks staff are working on repairs and will reopen the restrooms as soon as possible.
“I find this attack on each of you and our guests unacceptable and intolerable,” said Gomberg in his weekly news report. “Damage to state property is damage to your property, and all of us along the coast well understand the importance, popularity, and high visibility of parks and waysides, especially during the busy summer months. Vandalism to public toilets affects our welcoming reputation, our tourism economy, our joy at being close to the ocean, and occasionally our personal comfort as we drive Highway 101.”
State police said they are seeking information from anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity in or around the restrooms late Friday or early Saturday. Investigators are also asking anyone with video footage from roads leading to or adjacent to the affected state parks to review their recordings for potentially relevant activity.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact state police dispatch at 800-442-0776 or by dialing *OSP* (677) from a mobile phone and reference case number SP26-274452.
