Newport Man Arrested in Vietnam Veterans Memorial Vandalism Investigation

NEWPORT, Ore. — A 31-year-old Newport man has been arrested in connection with graffiti found on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and more than a dozen other locations throughout Newport, according to the Newport Police Department.

Shane Anthony McNees was arrested October 26 after investigators linked him to graffiti discovered at the memorial and other locations across the city.

The investigation began October 20, when Newport police were notified that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial had been vandalized with graffiti. The markings included the word “Peace,” a peace symbol accompanied by two exclamation marks, and other words and symbols.

As the investigation continued, officers identified more than a dozen additional instances of similar graffiti on and beneath the Yaquina Bay Bridge, along SW Bay Boulevard, near Walgreens and Starbucks, and on other public and private properties. One of the affected locations was the bus shelter in front of Newport City Hall.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from City Hall and observed McNees applying ink or paint to a glass window at the bus shelter on the evening of October 19. Police said the marking in the footage was identical to graffiti found at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and was made using the same color ink or paint.

On October 26, Officer Coren Loper located McNees near NE 1st Street and NE Avery Street, in the vicinity of another peace-symbol marking. McNees was taken into custody and lodged at the Lincoln County Jail.

He was initially charged with first-degree criminal mischief and abuse of a memorial to the dead under Oregon Revised Statute 166.076, a Class A misdemeanor.

McNees was subsequently charged with second-degree criminal mischief in connection with graffiti found at the City Hall bus shelter and on City Hall property. Police said additional charges are likely as investigators continue to identify other instances of graffiti.

The Newport Police Department said vandalism of public spaces and private property is taken seriously, particularly when it involves a veterans’ memorial that serves as a place of remembrance and honor for those who have served the country.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information about the graffiti incidents is asked to contact Officer Coren Loper or Sgt. Mike Leake with the Newport Police Department at 541-574-3348.

Tips can also be submitted through the Newport Police Tip Line at 541-574-5455, by text at 541-270-1856, or by email at tipline@newportpolice.net.