BY J.F FRED SMITH AND AMY MAYNARD
A LOCAL man has been arrested following the police investigation into a spate of graffiti incidents around Millicent.
In the last two months, Millicent police received a number of reports of graffiti on local businesses within the town.
As a result, police arrested and charged a 34-year-old Millicent man on Thursday with five counts of marking graffiti.
The man was charged with allegedly damaging such structures as the Millicent squash centre, former netball clubrooms, Pines service station, a Holzgrefe Street fence and the former Millicent railway station.
Specialist police had been summoned to Millicent last week in a bid to find those responsible for the latest spate of graffiti vandalism.
Wattle Range Council engineering services director Peter Halton has reflected on the recent graffiti at the former netball clubrooms.
“This senseless vandalism is extremely disappointing considering the work Wattle Range Council is doing to improve the presentation of the town,” Mr Halton said.
“Fortunately in this instance council has managed to remove the graffiti without difficulty, although it did take a number of staff hours to do so.”
Millicent Squash Club committee member Ron Wood has also expressed displeasure with the graffiti at the back of the squash centre, on McCourt Street.
“We have frequently been victims of graffiti and the club spends a significant amount of money painting over the building,” he said.
“We’re a small club and we have worked hard over the past six years maintaining the centre and so when something like this happens it’s just an annoyance really, it’s disappointing.”
Mr Wood said the club has security cameras in the car park but they currently cannot afford to have an additional camera and security lighting out the back.
“The block of land behind us has just been sold and there are plans to have sheds put there whether that acts as a deterrent, we’re not sure.”
The alleged vandal was bailed to appear in the Millicent Magistrates Court on November 13.
