Park’s Patterson monument vandalized during weekend

KETTERING — The John H. Patterson monument at Hills & Dales MetroPark, 2655 S. Patterson Blvd., was vandalized during the weekend, causing about $300 in damage, according to Five Rivers MetroParks ranger Lt. Mark Arendt.

A name appeared to be written in chalk on the horse on which Patterson sits, Arendt said. Arendt said the vandalism appears to have taken place between Saturday night and early Sunday morning. No suspects have been identified .

Preliminary attempts by park maintenance employees to clean up the statue appeared to be unsuccessful Monday morning. Workers at the scene declined to comment.

According to Arendt, the statue is vandalized about tw ice each year. In 2010, the MetroParks system had 10 total reports of vandalism, he said. In 2009, there were seven reports.

Arendt said the statue is actively patrolled, but there are no security cameras in the area. Light fixtures around the statue have been one of the main targets of vandalism in the past, he said. Patterson founded the National Cash Register Company, creator of the first mechanical cash registers, in 1884. Hills & Dales Park opened in 1907.

To report acts of vandalism at Hills & Dales MetroPark, call the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at (937) 535-2580.