Update:
Roanoke police charged a man with felony property damage for knocking over the city’s Robert E. Lee monument.
In a press release Friday, police said they saw 70-year-old William Foreman tampering with the monument the night before it was toppled. He was told to leave the area.
After the monument was knocked over late Wednesday night, officers again made contact with Foreman and he cooperated with the investigation.
Original story:
Someone toppled Roanoke's Robert E. Lee monument late Wednesday night. A police officer noticed around midnight that it had been knocked down, according to a press release.
City crews removed the pieces of the obelisk Thursday morning, leaving only the base and an orange traffic cone.
Roanoke City Council had already begun the process of removing the monument and had scheduled a required public hearing for August 17th. A statement from Mayor Sherman Lea said city will continue the legal process to remove the monument permanently.
The monument was placed in the city-owned plaza across from City Hall in 1960. The property is known as Lee Plaza. The city's war memorial is also in the plaza. It was put up in the 1980's.
Here is the complete statement from the City of Roanoke:
On Wednesday, July 22, just before midnight, a Roanoke Police Officer was driving in the area of 200 Church Avenue SW when he observed the Robert E. Lee Monument lying on its side, broken into two pieces. Preliminary investigation and evidence indicates the monument was damaged intentionally.
“It is an unfortunate incident, but this will not deter us from going through the legal process to remove the monument,” said Mayor Sherman Lea. “We have a public hearing scheduled for the second Council meeting in August to allow citizens to give their input on this matter, and we will proceed based upon the outcome of the public hearing.”
City Manager Bob Cowell stated, “It is unfortunate that this has occurred in light of the Council having initiated the process provided in State Code to facilitate the lawful removal and relocation of the monument. I am certain the Council will proceed with the process and render a final decision on the fate of the monument. City crews have removed the damaged monument and it will remain in storage until further action is warranted based upon the Council decision. The Roanoke Police Department has initiated an investigation into this act of vandalism and it will be addressed in accordance with applicable state law.”
No arrests have been made at this time regarding this incident. This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call (540) 344-8500 and share what you know. You can also send a text to 274637; please begin the text with "RoanokePD" to ensure its properly sent. Both calls and texts can remain anonymous.
