Man charged with vandalism in Monument Square businesses

A 39-year-old man was arrested and charged Sunday with burglary, theft and criminal mischief after breaking into several businesses in Portland’s Monument Square, police said.

Jimmy Burnett smashed windows and other items to enter David’s Restaurant and The Lady in the Moon, a boutique, according to Portland Police. Burnett, for whom no address has been given, faces three counts of criminal mischief and one count each of the other two offenses. He was being held Sunday night at Cumberland County Jail on $ 1,500 cash bond.

Alex Tirrell helps film the store window of his friend, The Lady in the Moon, in Monument Square on Sunday morning after it was vandalized overnight. Derek Davis / Personal Photographer

Officers responded to reports of vandalism at around 6:10 a.m. Sunday and discovered that several businesses had damaged storefronts, including broken windows, police spokesman David Singer said. The Lady on the Moon had a large broken hole in a window, and other companies had knocked over and damaged outdoor tables and chairs, photos from the scene show.

David Turin, owner of David’s Restaurant, said his business would need to replace two $ 2,500 tempered glass windows and damaged tables and chairs. But he said he considered the incident a “tragedy” because he had heard that Burnett was suffering from a mental health crisis.

“It’s a real shame,” said Turin. “I can’t even imagine the indignity and trauma of someone going through this stuff.”

Turin said Monument Square has seen a number of similar incidents during the pandemic, which has put pressure on mental health services and services for the homeless, some of which congregate in the square.

“It’s been that kind of crescendo of difficulty going on,” he said.

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