No arrests have been made so far, but police said they had heard on social media that there were people who disagreed with the placement of a cricket pitch in the park.
MANTECA, Calif. — The Manteca Police Department is investigating the person who vandalized the Doxie Park cricket field.
Officials said on Sunday, just one day after the Love Manteca event, the cricket field was “covered with dog faeces that had been dumped and spread around.”
“Frankly, it's disgusting,” said Lt. Josh Gutierrez of the Manteca Police Department. “This wasn't a working dog. Someone collected it and distributed it.”
The city of Manteca called it a hateful and senseless act in a Facebook post. Their statement continued: “It is disheartening to think that someone would target a public place intended for fun and recreation in such a disrespectful manner.”
Lt. Gutierrez said police are investigating the incident as an act of vandalism, not a hate crime.
“It's absolutely abhorrent to ruin something that could be used for the benefit of the city and its citizens,” Lt. Gutierrez said.
No arrests have been made so far, but Gutierrez said he has heard on social media that there are people who do not agree with putting a cricket pitch in the park.
Some residents said the park is sometimes used as a soccer field, both on camera and off. Residents like Jeanne Robison wondered if the vandals would disagree with the decision to build the stadium.
“I can't think of anything else,” Robison said. “What reason do they have other than not wanting to share the field?”
The cleaning was carried out by city employees. The city said the cricket field was funded through grants and not from the city budget.
“It just pissed me off that people would desecrate something that was created for the benefit of the community,” Robison said.
Manteca Police are asking anyone with information or video evidence to contact them at 209-456-8101.
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