<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0bmtG2_0vlMmHtI00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0bmtG2_0vlMmHtI00" width="900" height="506" ><figcaption>City of Fruita on the hunt for vandalism suspect</figcaption></figure>FRUITA, Colo. (KREX) – The City of Fruita has been getting an art takeover, not the kind that you’d see on a mural, but an act of vandalism. WesternSlopeNow spoke with a police officer and city official on how this is starting to become an issue.Art can be a meaning of expression.Fruita Parks and Recreation Director Marc Mancuso explains, “It takes numerous hours to clean up the graffiti.”But this type of art is leaving a bad taste in the community’s mouth.Mancuso explains, “And to get that removed, only to have it be done hours later is very, very disheartening for our staff.”Mancuso tells WesternSlopeNow that this type of tagging has been happening for more than a week. Sites such as the civic center, the electrical boxes and panels have been hit four times within three days. The other hot spots have been at the restrooms at Reed park and over in downtown. He also mentions that his crews have spent numerous hours cleaning up after the mess.“The bummer is that it requires city resources and time in order to fix that,” Mancuso states.For the past three weeks, the city of Fruita has been getting tagging all over the city and there’s still some reminiscence of that tag as a result of that vandalism. But the true question is, who is responsible for this crime?Lt. Nick Peck of the Fruita Police Department explains, “We haven’t got any information on who the person or persons are, and so that’s why we’ve kind of reached out to the public, just to encourage people that if you see something, if you could please report it to us. We really need our people in the community to be our eyes and ears to help us get some more information.”The Fruita Police Department along with parks and rec are looking to take things up a step.“We are working at getting cameras installed that will help provide an extra layer of security and help us hopefully identify a person. We’ve also used unmarked vehicles and increased extra patrol in the area,” Peck said.Marc and the police department also tell WesternSlopeNow that they need the community’s help to find the suspect. The police advise not getting involved directly, but call the Fruita Police Department to let officers handle the situation. The crime is still under investigation.Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com. </div></body>

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City of Fruita on the hunt for vandalism suspect

FRUITA, Colo. (KREX) – The City of Fruita has been getting an art takeover, not the kind that you’d see on a mural, but an act of vandalism. WesternSlopeNow spoke with a police officer and city official on how this is starting to become an issue. Art can...