Charges recently were filed against the Adams County woman police allege defaced various sites around Gettysburg and its historic battlefield in August, according to court records.
Suzanne Weiser, 43, of Fairfield, faces misdemeanor charges of intentional desecration of a public monument, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct as a result of multiple instances of spray painting graffiti in public locations, according to charges filed by Gettysburg Borough Police on Thursday.
Weiser was charged in relation to multiple instances of vandalism around the area in August, many of which contained messages such as "the dead will rise," "hope lives here" and "hope wins," along with several instances of a heart with a cross through it.
Previously reported: Graffiti scattered around Gettysburg and battlefield. Police, park service seek info.
Following those incidents, Gettysburg Police asked the public for help in identifying a green SUV that was seen nearby on surveillance footage, followed several days later with images of a woman who later was identified by police as Weiser.
Alerted to incident by caller who witnessed the spraypainting
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Gettysburg Borough Police, officers were alerted to the vandalism on the morning of Aug. 20 around 5:07 a.m. when a witness called 911 and said they had watched an individual spray-paint the side of a building on Racehorse Alley in the borough.
Officers found matching graffiti spraypainted onto two walls and two dumpsters in the immediate area, the affidavit states.
Gettysburg police were informed by Gettysburg College public safety that the college had experienced similar vandalism the night before, Aug. 19, and again Aug. 20, the affidavit states.
In those instances, the college reported graffiti spraypainted onto two brick pillars in front of the college's stadium, followed by two brick entrance pillars in another part of the campus. The college shared that clean-up cost around $100 for the four instances on the campus, according to the affidavit.
National Park Service reports similar graffiti incident
Police made contact with the National Park Service, which shared matching graffiti had extensively defaced the Oak Ridge Tower Monument on Aug. 19, and had cost the park service $905 to clean up, according to the affidavit.
The next day, police were called to a tire and auto shop on the 600 block of York Street in Gettysburg, finding more graffiti that again matched the other incidents, the affidavit said.
Police were able to obtain surveillance footage from Gettysburg College showing a light-colored SUV in the area of the graffiti incidents, and footage showed the vehicle stopping at a laundromat nearby, the affidavit states. Police obtained footage from the laundromat, which identified the suspect as a white female in her 30s with blonde hair, according to the affidavit.
In the affidavit, police state it appeared that, following the initial call Aug. 20 and the police response, Weiser attempted to change her appearance that morning, discarding several items of clothing.
Photographs of the suspect were posted to the Gettysburg Police Department's Facebook page, which led to the suspect's father reaching out to police, the affidavit said.
The suspect's father identified her as Suzanne Weiser, 43, and told officers Weiser had been suffering from mental health issues, according to the affidavit.
A preliminary hearing for Weiser is scheduled for Dec. 4, according to documents.
This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Fairfield woman, 43, charged with misdemeanors after August vandalism in Gettysburg
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