Vandalism at Scottish Rite Cathedral

Behind me you can see where a vandal hit the nearly 100-year-old Scottish Rite

Cathedral Monday morning. Next, however, police say he walked

right across the street and directly inside the Masonic Museum and

Library, spray paint still in hand.

A cryptic symbol splattered across signage, original

stonework, and old composite photos, coupled with strange

messages the local Masons haven't deciphered.

Plus, a hammer taken to stained glass.

I moved toward him and I said, "Why have you done this?" And, uh, he

said, "Because of what the Freemasons have

done."

Eric Vermeulen, director of the Indiana Masonic Home

Foundation,

was inside the building when the vandal happened upon an

unlocked door.

I've worked here for 10 years, and I've been around the building for 20.

Um, and, um, really it's the first time we've had

something on this

scale.

He says after making his mark, the suspect offered to wait for

police to arrive, who promptly arrested him.

While this is unsettling, we wanna assure the public

that we don't have any

information at this time to suggest that this was anything other than an

isolated

incident.

I absolutely believe it's a hate crime.

Uh, you know, he came in saying that all Freemasons need to die.

It's too early for IMPD to tell us whether this spray painting

spree will be investigated as a hate crime.

But Chris Hodapp, president of the Masonic Library

and Museum,

sees it as a sign of the times for his fraternity.

It's increasing worldwide.

Why do you think that is?

The internet, uh, is a, is, is an awful

megaphone for bad ideas.

While conspiracy theories about Freemasons have existed as long as the

centuries-old organization itself, today Hodapp says they

focus on promoting good character and community, regardless of

one's religious or political leanings.

They're all grateful the scare did not take a violent turn.

It's hard to feel good about a day when you go home and you walk through the

hallway and there's vandalism there.

But honestly, any day you go home and you're still alive, that's a good one.

The museum president tells us that the estimated cost to repair damage

to both

buildings is still being tallied.

Reporting downtown, Scarlet O'Hara, Fox 59 News.