Cheyenne Police Need Help Identifying 'Perennial Pirates'

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The Cheyenne Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying a group of "perennial pirates" who were caught on camera vandalizing the planters behind the Paramount Cafe at 1607 Capitol Avenue.

Public Information Officer Alex Farkas says the incident occurred around 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

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The video, which was posted on the department's Facebook page early Thursday afternoon, shows what appears to be juvenile boys on scooters, one of whom is seen uprooting plants and forcefully throwing them on the ground.

"While it is nearing the end of the outdoor growing season, and we understand not everyone is ready for winter weather, taking your frustration out on other people’s plants is not only disrespectful, but it’s illegal," the post reads.

Farkas says the group did less than $1,000 worth of damage -- a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than six months, a fine of not more than $750, or both.

Wyo. Stat. § 6-3-201

(a) A person is guilty of property destruction and defacement if he knowingly defaces, injures or destroys property of another without the owner’s consent.
(b) Property destruction and defacement is:
(i) A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, a fine of not more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), or both, if the cost of restoring injured property or the value of the property if destroyed is less than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00).

Police are asking anyone who recognizes the suspects to call Officer Smith at 307-637-6546.

When asked whether police had any reason to believe the "perennial pirates" were connected to the vandalism that occurred at Cheyenne's Cahill and Mylar parks on Sept. 10 and Sept. 11 in which more than $8,000 worth of bathroom and playground equipment was damaged, Farkas said, "It's uncertain at this time if the incidents are related."