AUGUSTA — A city man has been indicted for defacing the Maine Law Enforcement Officers Memorial on State Street earlier this year.
A tarp covers a granite wall that is part of the Maine Law Enforcement Memorial on State Street in Augusta in May. The wall, which is engraved with the names of fallen law enforcement officers, was vandalized over Memorial Day weekend. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file
A Kennebec County grand jury has determined that Justin Larrabee, 40, of Augusta should be charged with one felony count of aggravated criminal mischief and one misdemeanor count of criminal mischief.
Police discovered the memorial, which lists 88 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty, was defaced in the early hours of May 27.
After checking security video, the Maine Capitol Police confirmed that a person had vandalized the curved granite memorial that stands not far from the Maine State House by spray painting on it at about 3:45 a.m. on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.
The memorial was initially wrapped in tarps before the paint was cleaned up.
Nearly two weeks later, on June 9, Larrabee was issued a summons after officers from Capitol Police and the Augusta Police Department searched a Riverside Road home that day. The initial charges against Larrabee cited the vandalism on State Street and also reflected a second vandalism incident that occurred several days after the memorial was defaced. The indictment alleges that Larrabee damaged or destroyed a piece of granite that was the property of Riverside Drive Monuments.
At the time, Shannon Moss, public information officer for the Maine Department of Safety, said photos of the damage would not be released because what had been written on the memorial in red paint was a part of the investigation.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt, but it indicates that enough evidence exists to proceed with formal charges and a trial.
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