Lucas Patrick Clayton, 37, of House Springs has been charged for allegedly destroying Christmas decorations at the House Springs Preservation Site on Dec. 13.
He was arrested on Dec. 17 and charged on Monday with first-degree property damage, a class E felony punishable by up to four years in prison, authorities reported.
As of Monday afternoon, Lucas was being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $10,000 surety bond.
While at the pond, Clayton allegedly punctured six inflatable Christmas decorations; threw plastic candy canes and light-up reindeer decorations into the pond and tore down Christmas lights and threw them into the pond. The damage was estimated at $1,050, according the probable-cause statement in the case
Northwest Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce President Danny Tuggle said he stopped by the pond off Hwy. MM near Hwy. 30 at 9 a.m. on Dec. 13 and found the damaged decorations. He also said an American flag was ripped from a flagpole.
“Three years of work and a lot of volunteerism just went up in smoke,” Tuggle said. “All of the construction that we’ve been doing for three years, we really just kind of wrapped it up (on Dec. 8).”
He said the suspect also tried to destroy the fountain in the pond but was unsuccessful.
The chamber invited the community to a bonfire before the House Springs Lions parade commenced on Dec. 9 to celebrate the holidays and the completion of the pond improvement project. Tuggle said the chamber owns the site and renovated the pond to beautify the area and preserve history.
The 0.83-acre preservation site is home to the namesake spring of House Springs. The site includes a sign with information about the area and a short path around the pond.
“It’s a historic place,” Tuggle said. “It’s something we just thought was good for the community. When they built the Hardee’s and all that stuff there, that was what they used for a retention pond. Over the years, the water came in from the highway and everywhere else and filled it up. We restored everything back to the way it was 150 years ago.”
Tuggle said he is working to redecorate the site in time for Christmas.
“This is not a normal thing to do; this is hate,” he said. “This is a person who probably needs help.”