Geneva Pride Fire Hydrant Defaced Again; Man Charged In 1st Incident

GENEVA, IL — A 55-year-old Plainfield man was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of criminal defacement to property in connection to the vandalism of a Pride-painted fire hydrant.

Within 24 hours after he was released on bond, two hydrants, including the one dubbed the "Priderant," were found vandalized. The letters "KYS" — an acronym for "kill yourself" — were painted on the Pride hydrant, while a swastika, painted in what appears to be blue spray paint, appeared on a red hydrant located about 100 yards north of the other.

Both incidents have been reported to police, according to Deputy Chief Brian Maduzia.

"The Geneva Police Department is actively investigating the unauthorized actions of painting over the artist’s work on a City fire hydrant," he wrote in an email to Patch. "We are working with some of our law enforcement partners in regards to the use of additional resources. We have kept these resources in place, even after an arrest was made on Friday."

Police could not confirm if the Plainfield man, identified as Jonathan E. Darmstadt, was involved in the subsequent vandalism. Maduzia said the department has "not developed a suspect in regards to those more recent paintings."

"Detectives are exploring and looking into all leads that have been developed in these cases," he said.

RELATED: 'I'll Keep Fixing It' Geneva Woman Says After Pride Paint Job Covered

Police responded to the Pride hydrant, located on Kirk Road just north of East State Street, around noon July 29 after a witness reported the vandalized hydrant. Officers were given a description of the possible offender and car, which led police to a nearby business in the 1800 block of Averill Road in Geneva, where the car was found.

After police questioned the owner of the registered car, Darmstadt was arrested, officials said.

The Kane County State's Attorney's Office reviewed the case and authorized charges against the man, of the 25000 block of Catherine Drive in Plainfield, who was later released on bond.

Geneva police have taken a total of three vandalization reports relating to the hydrant, and Maduzia said there were additional incidents that weren't reported.

"In some of those incidents, the artist recreated their work without reporting it," he said.

According to the artist, Chrissy Swanson, the hydrant was vandalized six times since painting was first completed June 23. She has reported each incident. Swanson has lived in Geneva for 16 years.

Swanson painted the fire hydrant with Pride colors and a peace sign as part of the city's Art On Fire project. Residents have painted more than 100 hydrants throughout town since the project was established in 2013 as a way to bring artistic creativity to the community.

The artist's choice to paint the hydrant in a rainbow of colors was one of inclusion — not an attempt to make a statement, she told Patch on July 26.

"I was just doing it because I thought it was something happy and positive," she said.

Each time she found the hydrant vandalized — the first time happened July 7, she said — she repainted it to send a message. And she'll keep painting over it because if she were to quit "fixing it, that's going to make a statement," she said.

"It's unbelievable in my opinion," she told Patch Monday.

Even after this weekend's recent defacement, she still plans to repaint the hydrant.

"Everybody's entitled to express themselves, and they're encouraged to have their own opinions on things. There's a right way to express yourself and a wrong way to express yourself," she said, elaborating that vandalization isn't the right way.