Dozen toilets blown up, smashed in park restrooms over 2-month span; police seeking public’s help

Toilet in public restroom is smashed, one of a dozen toilets damaged at various city parks in St. George since the beginning of July, St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of St. George Parks Division, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A string of incidents involving the destruction of a dozen public toilets located at various parks throughout St. George has prompted the city and law enforcement to band together in hopes of putting a stop to the destruction – a battle for which authorities are also seeking the public’s assistance.

Toilet in public restroom is smashed, one of a dozen toilets damaged at various city parks in St. George since the beginning of July, St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of St. George Parks Division, St. George News

Since July 1, there have been 12 public toilets that have either been blown up or damaged, St. George City Parks Division Manager, Shane Moore told St. George News.

While that loss alone is substantial, he said, since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 20 toilets destroyed at a cost of more than $105 each, which is a discount due to the number of toilets purchased by the city. That does not include the costs associated with the time it takes to make the repairs, nor does it account for the inconvenience to the visiting public when they are met with a locked door while repairs are being made.

“Even at the discounted price, the number of toilets being replaced is getting expensive at this point,” Moore said.

The incidents are also random, he added. Park employees will find a toilet broken or blown up at one park, for example, and later that same day, another toilet will be damaged at a different park. Then it could be several days or even a week before they have another incident, leading them to believe that juveniles could possibly be involved.

“We do think it’s the same group of kids or individuals,” Moore said, “since the incidents are very similar.”

With each discovery, a report is generated with the police department. St. George Police Officer Tiffany Atkin confirmed this Thursday, saying they have received numerous reports involving vandalism to the restrooms and that these types of incidents “are always investigated.”

She also said that officers are seeking help from the public and asked anyone with information that can help identify the individuals responsible for the vandalism to contact the St. George Police Department at 435-627-4300. 

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!