BARNEGAT – Police have arrested a man in connection to the multiple incidents of vandalism that have occurred around town.
On September 9, Barnegat Police arrested and charged Peter Cook, 41, of Barnegat, with 14 counts of criminal mischief. This is in connection to the several bus stops, fences and signs that were found spray painted on September 1 and 2, amounting to $1,100 in damages. Cook was processed and released pending a court date.
“In a lot of towns, the damage would have been repaired and the agency would have moved on– as these cases typically go unsolved. We do things a little differently here,” Chief Keith Germain said. “We continue to believe that allowing the small problems to fester and go unresolved leads to bigger problems down the road… We will not ignore problems here, whether quality of life or otherwise– and there will be consequences for committing offenses in our town.”
Germain explained how Ptl. Armstrong pursued these incidents and was able to find physical and video evidence leading to the charges.
“Kudos to Ptl. Armstrong for the outstanding police work and to our Barnegat community that continues to partner with and support our officers in keeping this the safest town around,” Germain said.
