Jaffrey police have arrested three people in connection with a vandalism incident that closed the Humiston Park playground for about a month over the summer.
Eric Castine, 22, of Dummerston, Vermont, and Daniel Wells, 22, of Stoddard, have been charged with criminal mischief and theft, while Savannah Parkhurst, 25, of Jaffrey, has been charged with criminal liability for conduct of another, Jaffrey Police Chief William Oswalt said in an interview Wednesday.
“Castine and Wells, we allege, were actively involved in the damage and disassembling of the playground,” Oswalt said. “… My sense is between the three of them, they said we can do this. [Parkhurst] challenged them to do it.”
Humiston Playground was closed on July 2 after Jaffrey Parks and Recreation staff found that vandals had loosened and removed nuts and bolts used to hold together the playground’s equipment, flipped over a number of items, and stole the monkey bars.
“All the staff here is really disheartened,” Recreation Director Renee Sangermano said back in July. “… Someone planned to do this. They needed tools because everything was bolted tight.”
The playground was partially reopened a little less than a month later after all nuts and bolts were retightened and a safety inspection was completed. At the time, some of the replacement equipment had yet to arrive.
Material costs alone to get the playground up and running again were about $550.
Humiston Playground had reopened a little more than a month prior to the vandalism after the community came together to raise money for and install new playground equipment at the site.
“Vandalism occurs in the community from time to time, but the community reacted and rallied around this a bit,” Oswalt said. “They were disturbed by this.”
Oswalt said a community member called police to provide information about the potential suspects, which lead to the arrests.
“The information we received was within the past couple of weeks,” Oswalt said. “We had really run through all the leads we had… we were at a standstill.”
Oswalt said the person who called in the tip will receive a $500 reward, which had been offered a few days after the crime was committed, should any of the three be successfully prosecuted and convicted.
All three were released on summons to appear at the Jaffrey District Court.
Wells is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 5, while Castine and Parkhurst are scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 21.
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