WORCESTER — Worcester Police arrested a man on Sunday evening for allegedly defacing public art murals at City Hall and a Front Street building, authorities said.
Officers assigned to the Downtown Foot Beat were initially called to City Hall on Jan. 6 after reports of vandalism to two art mural pillars at the rear of the building.
The incident, which was caught on camera, prompted an investigation by the Worcester Police Department.
The following day, a similar act of vandalism was reported at 120 Front St. Surveillance footage from the scene appeared to show the same suspect involved in the City Hall incident.
After a department-wide email circulated with a picture of the suspect, a breakthrough came on Jan. 8 at around 4:15 p.m. An officer recognized the individual, who was in the vicinity of Union Station and matched the image shared by the department.
The man, identified as 35-year-old Kevin Kobler, was detained by officers from the Downtown Foot Beat.
Kobler, who was still wearing the same attire as seen in the video evidence, was arrested and charged with vandalism.
The Worcester Police Department continues to investigate the incidents and has not released further details about the extent of the damage or any possible motive behind the vandalism.
