Louisville man believes his home was vandalized by teenagers

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville homeowner and disability advocate is calling for accountability after he says young teenagers vandalized his home.

Marcellus Mayes, visually impaired, set foot on his property on May 12 and found the interior destroyed. Today, June 4, the damage remains.

Broken windows are strewn across the floor, paint stains the floors, cupboards are torn and toilets are clogged.

“I fell to my knees and started crying,” Mayes told WHAS11. “I’m not trying to see kids incarcerated for years, but I want someone to pay for my house.”

Mayes said he's looking at thousands of dollars in repairs for the house he's been renovating for a long time and preparing to move in soon.

But Mayes, who is also president of the Metro Disability Coalition, is just as concerned about what he calls the overall problem: Younger and younger teens are becoming embroiled in the city's violence.

“These kids need to get help, because if they do, they're going to end up getting killed,” Mayes told us at his home. “Something is going to happen to them.”

LMPD said the vandalism case remains open and active. A department spokesperson said the only charge in the original report was first-degree criminal mischief.

Mayes knows the city well. He hears the headlines and worries about Louisville's youth. He saw non-violent crimes like vandalism to his home eventually escalate into more serious crimes.

“You see kids getting shot. We need people who will be proactive about this. I'm asking parents to come forward,” Mayes said.

Louisville officials are feeling the burden, too.

At a news conference Monday, LMPD answered questions after five children were shot over the weekend outside an event venue in southwest Jefferson County.

“It’s disheartening to see victims this young,” said Les Skaggs, commander of LMPD’s homicide unit.

Meanwhile, in the Mayes neighborhood, a community meeting to discuss solutions to burglaries in the area is planned for June 10 at Southern Star Baptist Church.

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