POCATELLO — A reward of more than $2,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the vandals who damaged a memorial stone at the Edson Fichter Nature Area in south Pocatello.
The stone memorial, which was erected last Wednesday near the Edson Fichter Pond, was knocked over and broken by vandals sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning.
The memorial was placed at the site to honor the late Roger Humberger, who donated $60,000 to help build Edson Fichter’s fishing pond.
According to Stacie Gebo, co-owner of Element Outfitters in Pocatello, Humberger worked as a chemist at the J.R. Simplot Company but was an avid fisherman during his spare time.
In 2010, Humberger donated $60,000 to the Edson Fichter Pond fundraising committee. His donation was the final amount of capital needed to construct the fishery.
However, Humberger never got to see the pond. A day after he made the donation, he died of cancer.
Gebo, who served on the Edson Fichter Pond fundraising committee, said getting a memorial dedicated to Humberger built at Edson Fichter had been in the works for years. Unfortunately, just days after the stone was finally erected, it was vandalized and broken.
“What’s infuriating is that this memorial to such a selfless man would get treated this way,” Gebo said.
Luckily, Classic Marble and Granite in Pocatello was able to repair the damage and get the stone pieced back together. On Tuesday, Humberger’s memorial was re-erected at its original location.
Officials with Fish and Game said the total cost of the damage is not available.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the vandals was up to $2,050. Because the stone weighs 1,500 pounds, Gebo said it is highly unlikely that it was accidentally pushed over.
“I hope we can catch whoever is responsible for breaking the rock,” she said. “It’s so frustrating when you work on something for years, and within days it gets vandalized.”
The Edson Fichter Nature Area is near Indian Hills Elementary School in south Pocatello. According to Fish and Game, the nature area’s trails and 3.4-acre fishing pond are utilized by an estimated 100,000 visitors each year.
Anybody with information about the identity of the vandals who damaged the Roger Humberger memorial are asked to contact the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office at 208-236-7123 or the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s Southeast Regional Office at 208-232-4703. Callers can remain anonymous.
