A popular Dolly Parton mural was defaced in a Tennessee community earlier this week, leaving residents upset and working together to find the person responsible.
On Monday, August 3, surveillance footage was released showing the person accused of vandalizing the artwork. The colorful Dolly mural, painted by local artist Kim Radford, has been a staple at The 5 Spot in East Nashville for more than six years.
Surveillance footage from a camera set up by a nearby clothing store shows the person of interest arriving early Monday morning. The video shows a man with long dark hair pulled into a ponytail, wearing a black sleeveless T-shirt.
The man takes a small jar of black paint out of a backpack, unscrews the lid, and throws the paint directly at the wall. It covers the middle portion of Dolly’s face.
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It was later revealed that the suspect had allegedly targeted another Nashville mural the same day. Reports say he traveled to the city’s 12 South neighborhood in the afternoon and vandalized a Todd Snider exterior mural with white paint.
The Suspect Has Been Identified
By the end of the night, The 5 Spot shared an update with its followers on social media, saying they had identified the man responsible for defacing the mural.
According to the venue, the man came forward and admitted to vandalizing it.
“We know who defaced the Dolly and Todd Snider murals,” the statement began. “He’s explained himself. It was not done out of hate or anger towards any person, building, lifestyle, or anything. He’s in a bad mental state.”
The business also confirmed that the original artist will return to restore the mural. They added that because latex paint was used, there’s a chance it could peel off fairly easily.
Radford has come forward and spoken about the incident. In a statement shared by The Tennessean, she said:
“I’m hurt but glad the cameras caught our thief, and this is a good time to refresh the whole mural. This piece is 6 years old and giving Miss Dolly a refresh will be a delight.”
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