INDIANAPOLIS — Capitol Police is investigating vandalism at the Indiana Statehouse over the weekend.
“It’s significant,” said Capt. Ron Galaviz, a spokesman for Indiana State Police. “A disregard for the public property that this venue represents.”
Police told 13News they believe four teenagers were responsible for vandalizing the House chamber and an office and smashing a bench by throwing it from the top floor of the rotunda. Statehouse workers also had to clean up graffiti described as mostly scribbling and a drawing of a male body part.
Police were notified at around 4 p.m. Sunday of teenagers being inside the building. Officers found the teens, three girls and a boy who were all between 13 and 14 years old, and chased after them. They finally caught them near the canal and questioned them.
They were released to their parents, and the case will be forwarded to the prosecutor's office for possible charges.
“It will garner a little more attention on our part,” said Galaviz. “We'll have internal discussions with other agencies to ... really determine how did this happen, why and what can be corrected going forward."
Capitol Police is stationed at the statehouse every day. The state has not determined a damage estimate.
13News also received a statement from House Speaker Todd Huston:
"We learned of the damages made by multiple juveniles to the House Chamber on Sunday evening. Our initial assessment is that the damage in the chamber ranges from broken monitors to desktop items being trashed. At this time, we're not aware of any damage to historically significant items, and other House offices were not impacted. We continue to gather information and assess the situation. Just as Hoosiers do, we take great pride in this historical and special building, and it was beyond disheartening and frustrating to learn of this incident. We've already begun the clean-up process, and we'll continue working closely with the Capitol Police, governor's office and the Indiana Department of Administration."