NEWARK, Ohio — Business owners in Newark’s Courthouse Square woke up Monday morning to find broken glass outside their storefronts.
Newark Division of Police said officers were dispatched to the area around 2:45 a.m. on reports of shots fired and glass breaking.
Police said one officer witnessed a man breaking out the window of True Core Federal Credit Union on North 2nd Street. The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Joseph E. Davis, was quickly apprehended.
Officers also recovered a hatchet they said Davis used to break the windows.
Davis was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for injuries that occurred when breaking the windows, police said. Upon release, he was charged with vandalism and taken to jail.
Police said Davis broke out 37 windows at 11 businesses as he walked eastbound on North Park Place.
Midland Theatre had four of its windows broken out. Maryann Crist, the assistant director of the theatre, said she received a call about the incident overnight and came to see the damage.
"We are a very small close-knit community. We wanted to make sure everything was secure and safe," Crist said.
Many businesses put tape or boards over the damage while they wait for insurance companies to assess the damage.
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