Popular social media trend: West Omaha fences smashed in again

Popular social media trend West Omaha fences smashed in again

Social media posts show that several west Omaha neighborhoods were targeted last weekend by the “Kool-Aid Man” challenge, in which people ram through fences.

A portion of Beverly Conroy’s fence was targeted. Now she’s looking at over $2,000 worth of damage.

KMTV: How does this make you feel?
Conroy: “Like a victim, really.”

In fact, she stated that this is not the first time this has occurred. In 2018, her fence was also kicked in.

“Somebody repaired the fence then, and now, here we go again,” she was saying.

We’ve been covering this trend for years. In June, neighborhood reporter John Brown spoke with neighbors in the Pacific Meadows neighborhood of west Omaha who had their fence demolished.

“It is frustrating because we live in a safe neighborhood and want to keep it safe,” Kari Webber said in June 2024.

The OPD informed us in that case that no arrests had been made due to a lack of leads.

In 2022, the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office cited nine juveniles in connection with damaged fences in Sarpy County.

For Conroy, it was something she never expected to have to face again.

“Just respect privacy and property. That is all we ask. “That’s all I ask,” Conroy stated.

KMTV asked Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine what the consequences would be for such actions. He explained that it carries a criminal mischief charge for property destruction. If the damage exceeds $5,000, you will face a felony charge.

Kleine stated that there could be multiple punishments, including probation, restitution to the victim, and even jail time.

According to the OPD, no suspects are currently in custody. If you have any information, please call OPD Crime Stoppers at 402-444-STOP (7867).

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