Longboat Key police have suspect in vandalism case on Beer Can Island

LONGBOAT KEY -- The Longboat Key Police Department has a suspect but no arrests in the case involving vandalism of several large, artful driftwood pieces on Beer Can Island.

"My investigator received information yesterday and was able to identify a suspect in the case," Longboat Key Police Chief Steve Cumming told a Herald reporter early Wednesday evening. "He did contact that person today and that person admitted to a portion of what was found."

Cumming was unable to identify the female suspect because no charges had been filed as of Wednesday afternoon. According to Cumming, the suspect admitted to painting the "nonpolitical portion of the graffiti."

One of the driftwood pieces has painted hearts, a red swirl, a peace sign and other scrawls in orange, green and pink.

There's also a driftwood reading "Feel the Bern!" -- the slogan of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Other pieces have been simply painted "Bernie!"

"It wasn't any of the written words. It was the symbols," Cumming said of the vandalism admitted by the suspect. "We were told that there were other people there at the same time and that this person didn't feel as though he or she was doing anything wrong."

Agena Kane, 48, of Parrish, said it was upsetting to hear about the vandalism on Beer Can Island.

"My husband, his ashes, are spread out on Beer Can Island," Kane said of Michael Giannillo, who died nearly two decades ago of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. "When he passed in '98, we put his ashes out there. It's a sacred place."

Chief Cumming said he went Wednesday morning to Beer Can Island for a closer look at what had been done to the driftwood and noticed two more trees had been painted on.

"I'm concerned that this is continuing and we will not tolerate any more of this. We definitely don't want any more of this," he said. "We will investigate these cases and will prosecute."

The investigation is ongoing.

Amaris Castillo, law enforcement/island reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7051. Follow her on Twitter@AmarisCastillo.

This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 11:06 PM with the headline "Longboat Key police have suspect in vandalism case on Beer Can Island ."