A streak of vandalism in the Starkville community has left mailboxes smashed, signs stolen and a wooden bear missing.
When the Vizzini family moved to Starkville, they brought with them everything from their former home-photographs, furniture, dishes and a 5-foot-tall, 220-pound wooden bear, affectionately called “Papa.”
The family went on vacation Oct. 17, leaving the bear to guard their home. When they returned to their quiet neighborhood, their beloved “Papa Bear,” carved with a chainsaw by Patricia Vizzini’s father, had vanished.
“It had to have been a group of people (who stole it) because it weighed so much,” Patricia Vizzini said.
The value of the bear makes the crime a felony, which could be punishable by up to five years jail-time. Rather than press charges, the Vazzinis plastered the city with fliers, hoping to recover the bear. The Starkville Daily News ran a front-page article about Papa’s disappearance as well.
It worked. The bear was returned late Nov. 2, but in poor condition.
“He had burned candle wax on him. He was very marred up and his finish was virtually gone,” Vizzini said. “I think he is permanently damaged.”
Weeks prior to the sculpture’s disappearance, a directional sign from the Mississippi Horse Park valued at $3,000 was stolen. The metal sign, located at South Montgomery Street and Poorhouse Road, measures three feet wide and six feet long and is “pretty heavy,” said manager Bricklee Miller.
“Whoever stole it had to work a long time to get it out of the frame,” she said.
The missing sign and pieces of the frame are valued at $3,000, making that crime a felony as well.
Pieces of the sign have not been returned.
“We felt like since it took a long time to take [the sign] down that someone had seen it. So we put the story on the news. We’re still hoping to find it somewhere,” Miller said.
Because the sign is so expensive, the park has not yet made plans to replace it. Instead, they plan to modify an existing sign, Miller said.
Several mailboxes and gates along Oktoc Road have also been damaged and several road signs were taken. A pickup truck caused the damage, police said.
Several people involved in the vandalism have been caught and charged with misdemeanor, said Rick Sharp of the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Department. Their court dates are still pending.
Because everything was taken on an individual basis, property value only qualified the crimes as misdemeanors, he said.
At least seven instances of mailbox damage have been reported since the end of September.
Crimes are occurring on the north side of town in the area of Highland and Frontier, said Starkville Police Detective Henry Stewart.
“Three reports were made Nov. 10 between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.,” he said.
Damage was done by people walking up and beating the mailboxes.
Stewart described the area as one of “heavy activity,” and said there are no suspects yet. “It could possibly be juveniles just walking the streets but it could be anyone,” he said.
The Starkville Police Department is planning to beef up the patrol in the area and has encouraged the neighbors to be on the lookout for suspicious vehicles.