The Lift Tower Lodge in Ketchum was the latest victim in a recent vandalism campaign aimed at destruction of Christmas lights in the city.
"I got vandalized," said Betty Caroline, lodge manager. "My tower, all my lights were pulled and not at the plug. They just walked around the whole tower and made sure the wires were split. They didn't use clippers, they just pulled them apart."
Caroline, who reported the crime Wednesday to Ketchum police, was referring to the 1939 vintage lift tower in front of the lodge that borders state Highway 75. She pointed out that the lights are not standard Christmas lights, but LEDs, which stands for low-energy-requiring "light-emitting diodes."
"We don't know what the damage is, but we know it cost $2,300 to put them up," she said.
Ketchum Police Department spokeswoman Kim Rogers said Thursday that the lodge incident is the fifth report of Christmas light destruction in the city in the past several weeks.
"I'm not sure if it's a statement saying we're using too much energy, or if it's several months after Christmas," Rogers said. "I'm not sure what angle it's coming from. I don't know if it's connected to all the gazillion other vandalisms of late."
Rogers was referring to numerous incidents of magazine rack vandalism and political graffiti written on walls and buildings, mainly on the west side of town.
Caroline said she's not sure when her lights were vandalized, but the damage was discovered on Wednesday. She suspects it occurred sometime between Sunday evening and early Wednesday morning.
"It's just destructive," she said. "If you wanted them off you could just turn them off. This is definitely vandalism. If anyone has information, it is on Main Street. Somebody could have driven by, somebody could have seen it from their condo."
Anyone with information can contact Caroline at 726-5163 or Ketchum police at 726-7819.
