November 03, 2017 - 8:34 AM
HONOLULU - The 19-year-old accused of spray painting the Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole statue in Honolulu's Waikiki neighbourhood on Halloween pleaded no contest and was sentenced to two days in jail with credit for time served and four hours of community service.
Police say Andrew Chalaire was booked into jail on Tuesday on a count of fourth-degree criminal property damage. Police said they caught him in the act and video also shows a man vandalizing the statue.
City workers on Thursday cleaned the orange graffiti from the statue and applied a wax coating to restore its shine.
The bronze artwork was commissioned by the city in 2001 and unveiled a year later.
"To think that there are individuals within our Hawaii family that do not understand the significance of Prince Kuhio, what he has done for us, it's quite disheartening," said Anthony Paris, president of Prince Kuhio Hawaiian Civic Club.
Prince Kuhio, a member of the royal family, is commemorated for his role as a congressional delegate before Hawaii became a state.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017