Nov. 10--New Lenox officials and residents are raising funds to repair a veterans memorial vandalized in the village earlier this year.
The memorial is located near the New Lenox Village Hall and includes five large granite markers representing all branches of the armed services, Mayor Tim Baldermann said.
Four of the stones were damaged earlier this year when a homeless man "vandalized" the markers by pushing them over and cracking them, Baldermann said.
The village estimates it will cost $35,000 to $50,000 to fix all the damage.
Although the incident is not believed to have been the result of anti-veteran bias, Baldermann said, the stones' destruction upset the community.
"It's a very sacred spot for us in town," said Baldermann. The community meets there on days of remembrance like Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
New Lenox's village motto is "Home of Proud Americans," he added.
Police arrested Brian Sundstrom, 26, on Oct. 8. Sundstrom walked into the police station to speak with detectives about the damage, New Lenox Deputy Chief Bob Pawlisz said.
Police recovered fingerprints that matched Sundstrom's and charged him with criminal damage to property of state supported property.
Sundstrom's last known address is in Bourbonnais but he is homeless, officials said.
Larry Paveza, with the New Lenox VFW post, said two of the stones were broken beyond repair while the others need to be repaired.
When Paveza, a Vietnam veteran, first heard that the stones were damaged, he felt surprised and pain.
"I'll be very honest with you, it brought tears to my eyes," Paveza said. "I couldn't believe this would happen, that someone would do that."
But he's been touched by the outpouring of support from the public. So far, the village has raised about $40,000 for repairs, including $10,000 from Exelon, ComEd's parent company.
Anyone who wishes to donate can send a check to the village of New Lenox, Baldermann said, or go to BMO Harris in New Lenox and deposit it there in the Veterans Memorial Fund.
