Sara Agnew

Iowa City Press-Citizen

Reflections of U Herky was found early this morning by University of Iowa police face down in the concrete, his legs busted off below the knees. Only the steel rebar in his quarter-inch fiberglass legs kept the statue attached to the 2,000-pound concrete base at the north end of the Pentacrest.

Reflections of U Herky is the first of the 83 Herky statues unveiled Monday during "Operation Hawk and Awe" to be vandalized. He was taken down at 8:45 a.m. and transported to an area artist's studio where several artists will evaluate his condition.

GALLERY:See all 83 Herky on Parade statues

Josh Schamberger, president of the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and one of the local officials who oversaw the Herky on Parade 2 event, is determined to make "an example" of the perpetrators.

"Hopefully UI police or local police will find someone or a student will come forward with some information, and we will find the person or persons who did this," he said. "I will certainly prosecute and make an example out of these individuals."

Iowa City Area CrimeStoppers is offering up to a $1,000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest of this suspect or suspects.

UI police discovered the vandalized statue at 6:27 a.m. today and immediately called Rick Klatt, UI's associate director of athletics for external relations, because UI's athletics department sponsored the Reflections of U statue, Schamberger said. Herky on Parade 2 included 75 Herky statues designed by area artists and placed in Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty and at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids. Another seven statues were donated to area high schools and middle schools with each school coming up with its own design.

UI Police Chief Chuck Green would not confirm or deny whether the university has videotapeof the crime in progress nor would he disclose any additional information about the incident.

"It is under investigation," he said.

Based on the weight of the foundation and the sturdiness of the statue, Schamberger suspects more than one person is responsible for the vandalism.

"It would take a tremendous amount of weight to do this," he said.

Unfortunately, this isn't he first time a Herky designed by Cedar Rapids artist Kim O'Meara and placed on the north end of the Pentacrest has been vandalized. In 2004, vandals tore the first Reflections of U Herky off its cement slab and tossed it onto Jefferson Street, which runs directly in front of the display. That same early Saturday morning, vandals clubbed Dance Marathon Herky, which stood in front of the Iowa Memorial Union.

"It's really sad," said O'Meara, who has yet to see her damaged Herky. "It's like an act against the community, in a way. That's the sad part."

O'Meara spent 120 hours over three weeks creating her Herky, which was a mosaic of tiny pieces of black glass. She first used an adhesive to secure each tiny shard of glass, then she applied grout. A similar method was used on her first Refection of U Herky, which O'Meara repaired but said she was never able to recapture the essence of the original piece. Today, that statue, which was commissioned by the UI Alumni Association, is stationed in front of the Levitt Center.

"I was able to repair it, but it was never the same," she said. "Once the grout is sprung or broke, you have lost the integrity of the piece."

Schamberger said if the artists can't repair the damaged Herky, he will have a new Herky shipped from Chicago and hand it over to O'Meara to spend another three weeks making a new one.

"I would be willing to do that," O'Meara said.

Any with information about this crime is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 358-TIPS (8477) or the UI police department at 335-5022 or email police@uiowa.edu. People who call CrimeStoppers do not have to reveal their identity to collect a reward.

Reach Sara Agnew at 887-5418 or sagnew@press-citizen.