Vandals strike statue

The Andy and Opie statue was painted red and green during a vandalism discovered Sunday.

(By Tom Joyce, The Mount Airy News) - The familiar statue of Andy and Opie that greets those passing by the Surry Arts Council building on Rockford Street has a noticeably different look due to being painted red and green during a weekend vandalism.

“It’s very disappointing,” Arts Council Executive Director Tanya Jones said Monday of an act that will require a huge expense to correct.

“It’s disheartening that you’ve got people out here in the community that would do that,” said Lt. Jeff Inman of the Mount Airy Police Department, which is investigating the crime. “It’s a childish-prank kind of thing.”