It's a sickness that knows no boundaries.
A statue of Abraham Lincoln that has stood tall in Burlington for more than 100 years was knocked to the ground early Saturday, apparently by vandals.
Don Vande Sand, vice president of the Burlington Historical Society, said police got a call shortly after 6 a.m. and have identified a suspect.
A dispatcher for the Burlington police said a statement about the case would be released later Saturday. Chief Mark Anderson was not available.
Vande Sand said the 8-foot-tall bronze statue does not appear to be damaged, save for some scrape marks around the head. He said the scene does not suggest that someone rammed the stone pedestal with a car or truck, and that it was unclear just how the statue was toppled.
Vande Sand said the statue, created by Chicago sculptor George Ganiere, was a gift in 1912 from dentist Francis Meinhardt to mark the reopening of a town school as the Lincoln School.
The site is now the office of the Burlington Area School District, but Vande Sand said the statue, located on a small triangle of land at an intersection of State and Kane streets, belongs to the city.
He said he had not heard Saturday of any plans or timeline for returning Lincoln to his proper place.
The city celebrated a re-dedication of the statue in May 2014.
By Bruce Vielmetti of the Journal Sentinel
Updated Jan. 30, 2016
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