MANSFIELD — Mansfield Police Chief Jason Bammann had a message Wednesday morning for folks trying to spoil good things happening in the community.
“There are a lot of good things here that haven’t happened in years. We’re very fortunate. For those that choose to destroy or hinder the work going on this city, you will be caught and you will pay the price,” Bammann said.
The chief was referring to a 21-year-old Mansfield man arrested April 23 for allegedly vandalizing three downtown businesses several days earlier.
Kaleb Adkins was charged with breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony, and remained in the Richland County Jail on a $20,000 bond as of Wednesday morning, according to online jail records.
Unlike the quick arrest of a 22-year-old Mansfield man who allegedly vandalized basketball courts at Liberty Park on April 21, no one witnessed Adkins’ reported crimes to tell police.
Instead, Bammann said the identification and arrest of Adkins came from surveillance video from businesses in the area, along with work by the department crime lab investigators, patrol officers aware of the suspect and detectives Terry Butler and Korey Kaufman.
When police went to the suspect’s apartment at 101 W. Fourth St., they found Adkins — and a cash register he allegedly stole from the 101 Tea Company at 101 N. Main St. during his after-hours activities.
The 101 Tea Company was the only business robbed, but both City News at 100 N. Main St. and Richland Academy of the Arts at 75 N. Walnut St. were also impacted by the vandalism.
(Below are photos after a vandal damaged doors at City News and Richland Academy of the Arts earlier this month.)
“Video surveillance played a key role in this case,” said the chief, who recommended all businesses employ the technology.
“The detectives, working with patrol and their previous contacts with him, used that video surveillance and that’s how we identified Kaleb,” Bammann said.
Adkins was arraigned in Mansfield Municipal Court on April 24 and a preliminary hearing before Judge Michael Kemerer is scheduled Thursday.
It’s likely the case will be forwarded to a Richland County grand jury. Bammann said additional charges related to the incident may be filed as part of that process.
