Cazenovia police have made an arrest in the May 13 vandalism case during which a beer bottle was thrown through the front door window of the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce and a large planter pot was broken in front of J.D. Hunter Home. The cost of the damage between the two locations was estimated to be at least $700, according to the victims.
Joseph P. Levesque, 21, of Newport, N.Y., was arrested by Cazenovia police on May 19 and charged with criminal mischief in the third degree, an E felony, and criminal mischief in the fourth degree, a misdemeanor. He is scheduled to appear in Cazenovia Village Court on June 15.
The incident occurred during the late hours of Thursday, May 12, or the early hours of Friday, May 13. According to Anna Marie Neuland, executive director of the chamber of commerce, which is located at 59 Albany St., a beer bottle with “a lot of beer in it” was thrown through the right front door window of the chamber. When she arrived at work at 9:30 a.m. Friday morning she found a “big hole” in the window and “big shards of glass all over.” Building owner Leonard Dwyer said it cost him “just under” $500 to fix the broken window.
The same suspect is believed to have broken the planter pot, said John Hunter, owner of J.D. Hunter Home, which is located at 55 Albany St. He said the pot has a $200 value.
Cazenovia Police Chief Michael Hayes said there was a witness to the event who saw the entire thing, took a picture of the perpetrator and gave a statement to police.
