Brian Hall, director of the City of Petal Parks and Recreation Department, is offering a $100 reward for information that leads to the arrest of a suspect in relation to vandalism at the city's basketball/tennis court.
In a Thursday Facebook post, Hall said the court will remain locked for a few days pending an investigation of the damage - a large hole shattered through a basketball goal on the left side of the hoop.
"I poured a lot of time and effort into this project and this really irritates me," Hall said in the post. "Before anyone starts pointing fingers of guilt I will tell you that it appears the object that caused the breakage did not even come from the basketball court or within the fences at all.
"The hole is just where the glass fell out; the small puncture to the left of the hole is what caused it to shatter. Takes a lot of velocity for that small of an object to shatter 3/4" glass; you can draw your own conclusions from there."
Officials are pursuing the best way to fix the damage and expect basketball to continue in the very near future.
"This is part of our Park and seeing it be utilized makes my day; there will always be some noise from any of our Parks," Hall said. "I ask that if you purchased a home near the Park that you embrace the noise of young people being active. I would much rather listen to any outdoor activity than listen to the clicking of a video game controller."
Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to send a private message to the department's Facebook page or email petalrecreation@cityofpetal.com.
