What This Story Is About
- A teen visiting UT campus from New Jersey has been identified as the suspect in a Smokey statue vandalism, according to police.
Why It Matters
- Ten statues are spread across campus, each representing one of the mascots from the university’s storied history.
- Police said 19-year-old Beckett Edward Nachtman has been booked into Knox County’s jail
For Context
- The statue was vandalized overnight Friday, found the next morning missing its head.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – A New Jersey teen has been charged with felony vandalism after one of the University of Tennessee’s iconic Smokey statues was found damaged and missing its head overnight Friday.
According to UT Police Department Director of Communications Ryan Moore, 19-year-old Beckett Edward Nachtman has been charged in the vandalism. Moore said Nachtman has been booked into Knox County’s jail, adding the teen was visiting people on campus the night the vandalism happened…