A Confederate statue in the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park has been defaced, according to the Ocala Police Department.

  • 100-year-old Confederate statue defaced
  • Police say cost of damage is $300
  • Police do not have any leads

Director of Marion County Veteran Services Jeffrey Askew told police that at around 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, park staff found the more than 100-year-old Confederate figure with graffiti on it. The words "South will not rise again" and "racist" were spray-painted on various parts of the statue, authorities said.

A frowning face and "575" were also spray-painted on the 23-foot-tall statue, police noted in an incident report.

Askew told police that the graffiti was not on the statue, known as "Johnny Reb," the day before.

Police said that because game cameras mounted through the park had been removed a few weeks before the defacing, they do not have any leads or suspects.

The graffiti has not yet been removed from the statue and it has caused about $300 worth of damage, according to police.