SAVANNAH, Ga. (WAVY/WSAV) — Police in Savannah, Georgia are looking for the person responsible for placing googly eyes on their historic Nathanael Greene statue.
The City of Savannah posted about the incident on their Facebook on Thursday. The statue is located in the center of Johnson Square in the city.
The city’s Facebook post states, “It may look funny but harming our historic monuments and public property is no laughing matter, in fact, it’s a crime.”
Early Thursday afternoon, officers with the Savannah Police Department responded to the square for a report of a trespass. According to a police report, one officer confirmed the googly eyes were, in fact, on the monument in the center of the square.
The eyes were removed, and it didn’t appear to result in any damage to the statue. The officers wrote a trespassing report since the person responsible had to cross over a fence around the statue to place the googly eyes on Nathanael Greene’s Monument.
Greene was one of America’s top Revolutionary War officers — second to George Washington. He lived in Savannah with his family following the war, but he died shortly after of heat stroke.
In 1902, Greene and his son’s remains were moved to Johnson Square and reburied in the base of the monument.
Savannah citizens should keep an eye out for the culprit and anyone with information is asked to contact the Savannah Police Department.