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JAMESTOWN - A homeless Jamestown man has been charged with destroying the cooling system at the St. Susan Center in August.
Jurall R. Reid, 33, was charged Monday with second-degree criminal mischief and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. Reid was arraigned in Jamestown City Court and released.
City police responded to a report from the St. Susan Center manager on August 17 of a criminal mischief complaint at the center. At 5:34 p.m. Aug. 16, the St. Susan Center cooling system was destroyed. Video surveillance footage showed a man had walked to the where the cooling system is located, which is outside the building, and removed various copper parts and the radiator, which destroyed the system. The condensers for the freezer sit outside on the ground, and Rowland said they look a little like air conditioning condensers, adding that the person who did the damage might not have known what they were tearing apart. The electric and cords and hoses to the freezer were cut, and the copper was completely stripped from all of the condensers that ran the freezer. The cooling system kept about $4,860 worth of perishable food cold. Once the parts were removed the refrigerator stopped working and the food was destroyed.
About 3,000 pounds of food was taken to Jamestown Ice Company, who allowed them to bring it over to their business. The center also called Chautauqua County Pantries to let them know they had meat and frozen produce available and they came within a few hours. Altogether, Rowland said they unloaded the freezer in about five hours.
Police officers said Reid had received meals from the St. Susan Center several times before the Aug. 17 incident.
The video footage was put out on social media, which led police to receive tips that Reid was allegedly responsible for destroying the refrigeration system while other surveillance footage allegedly showed Reid possessing the cooling system parts and selling them for money. Police say Reid was in jail when his identity was discovered.
“The St. Susan’s Center personnel would like people to know that acts like these will not be tolerated because too many people depend on their services,” city police officers said in a news release.
Greg Lindquist, St Susan Center board president, told The Post-Journal in August that there was some insurance coverage but it is questionable how much would be covered. Lindquist said a lot of the products in the freezer were gifted to St Susan Center from major retailers in the area, including Wegmans, Tops Markets, Panera Bread, Ecklof’s Bakery, Target and Walmart.
“Those entities gave freely from their bottom line to help feed the hungry and needy in the Jamestown area,” Lindquist said in August. “It feels like we got slapped in the face that this happened, and we’re trying to do the best that we can here and assist those that need assistance with food sustenance in the Jamestown area.”