A vandal or vandals did extensive damage to a football field Monday at the Long County Recreation Complex.  
Long County Sheriff Craig Nobles said that sometime after 10:30 p.m. Monday, a 2-wheel-drive vehicle was driven on the wet field, causing an estimated $4,000 to $5,000 in damage. He said that it is believed that the vehicle was a pickup, but that could not be confirmed as of last week.  
Nobles said the vehicle apparently was driven through an unlocked gate toward the rear of the complex and had its wheels spun, tearing up the field. Rain earlier that evening left water standing on the field, making the damage worse. Nobles said the vehicle appeared to have been driven all over the field.
“It’s a shame,” he said. “The county works to have something nice like this football and soccer field, and then someone does something like this … I will tell you this — when we catch this person or persons, I’m going to do all I can to make sure that they are prosecuted to the furthest extent of the law.”
Nobles said that from what he has been told, the field’s damage may cause delays in some scheduled games. The field is used for recreation-department games and Faith Baptist Christian Academy contests.
“This has hurt a lot of people, but we’re going to take care of it,” the sheriff said.
Nobles said there is a $1,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest and prosecution in the case.
He is encouraging and welcoming any other donations to make the reward larger.
If anyone has any information on who vandalized the field, call the sheriff’s office at 545-2118.