Police have charged two suspects who may be responsible for the Sept. 8 vandalization of Mississippi State University’s Bully statue in the Junction.
Last semester, culprits painted over the statue with red graffiti and tarnished the white base of the statue with the date “11/17” and the phrase “Woo Pig.” MSU’s football team played the University of Arkansas on Nov. 17, a team whose hog call is “Woo Pig Sooie.”
One of the suspected accomplices, Mathes Tillinghast, was attending Arkansas Tech University when the campus police department picked him up. Tillinghast, 24, of Houston, Texas, was booked into the jail on Dec. 22 after the MSU Police Department received a tip. He was later expedited to Oktibbeha County.
According to the Starkville Daily News, MSU Police Chief Vance Rice said after utilizing investigative techniques, the police built up evidence for a warrant to arrest Tillinghast. The police also obtained information from Tillinghast’s cell phone, which led to the arrest of a second suspect.
On Thursday, Jan. 17, Timothy Yeldell, a 25-year-old Fayetteville native, turned himself into the Oktibbeha County Jail following the police issuing a warrant for his arrest regarding the vandalism. Both Yeldell and Tillinghast were charged with felony malicious mischief, and their bonds were set at $5,000. Tillinghast’s last court date was Jan. 22 and Yeldell’s next court date is Feb. 26.
The Reflector reached out to the MSU Police Department, which directed inquiries to the Office of Public Affairs.
MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter said two factors played into solving this crime.
“It was a combination of good police work on the part of MSUPD and a lot of public cooperation from members of the public who read about it and provided information to the officers,” Salter said.