Vandal's grandparent calls cops

GREENWOOD, Neb. -- Four young Greenwood residents thought they could get away with vandalizing their village park. Little did they know, in a small town, everyone is watching, including their grandparents.

On Sept. 13, four youths, ages 6 to 14, were caught red-handed with spray paint cans as they made their mark on their city park, but not in a good way.

One of their grandparents witnessed them spray painting benches and sidewalks, and called law enforcement, according to Village Clerk/Treasurer Angie Stein.

A Cass County Sheriff's deputy responded and cited the youths. Because of the age of the offenders and the fact that the crime was not severe, the village board of trustees decided to mete out the punishment themselves, said Stein.

"Rather than go through the court system, the village board decided to take it upon themselves," said Stein.

The village attorney contacted the parents of the children, and they determined a suitable punishment, Stein said. Each child will pay $20 towards restitution and work one hour per week cleaning the park until the end of November.

The money will help pay for sandblasting of the sidewalk to remove the paint.