OTTAWA — A 24-year-old man from Ottawa is in the Franklin County jail in connection with vandalism this weekend that ruined tires on 36 vehicles near East 7th and South Poplar and at Sunflower Plaza. Ottawa Police Lt. Adam Weingartner said Jesse Clay Gunnels in being held on suspicion of criminal damage to property. An alert citizen police seeing suspicious activity Saturday night gave a description of a man in the area to police officers, Weingartner said. That description, as well as other evidence, led to the arrest of Gunnels, he said. When the neighborhood around Sunflower Plaza learned of the vandalism, many volunteers helped patrol officers change tires on residents’ vehicles. Expert Tire and Wal-Mart Super Center Lube and Tire Express in Ottawa offered help with getting replacement tires. Weingartner said police are thankful to the witness who reported the vandalism and to those volunteers who helped change tires.
Monday, Oct. 11, 4 p.m.
