KALKASKA -- Ron and Jean Davis love to watch motorists' reactions when they pass by their large and rather unique lawn ornament.
The rural Kalkaska County couple proudly displays a roughly 9-foot-tall aluminum reproduction of the Statue of Liberty. Until recently, the figure stood a few feet from Smith Lake Road, and passersby often paused to admire it.
"A lot of times people would stop their cars and have a look, and once in a while you'd have a high school graduate who wanted to have his picture taken there. Everybody seemed to enjoy it," Jean, 76, said. "Even when I'd have a garage sale or something, people would say, 'Can I buy that? Where did you get it?'"
But all the good feelings were put on hold after someone vandalized their prized patriotic possession. Jean was horrified on July 28 to discover the statue covered in spray paint, much of it depicting male genitalia.
"I went out ... to get the paper, and as I turned around it just kind of stared me right in the face," she said.
Police hope a tip will help solve the crime, and the Davis family hopes someone will be held responsible.
"If it's teenagers, they've got to be taught some respect. If it's somebody older, well, they need to be taught a lesson," Jean said.
The couple built their Kalkaska home in 1992, and they display flags, buntings and other patriotic memorabilia on their property. They bought the statue at a home auction about five years ago, and they're deeply troubled by the vandalism.
"You can see them doing it to something else, but not something that represents our country," Jean said. "We've got all these servicemen overseas, they'd be sick to hear about it."
"That someone would do something to the Statue of Liberty, that's not good," said Ron, 77, a retired sheet metal worker.
But they won't let the vandals ruin their display. For now, the most offensive painting is covered by trash bags, and the couple plans to repaint the statue and move it closer to their home. They'll also bolt it to the ground and fix motion-triggered flood lights around it.
"We definitely are not going to get rid of it. It is here permanently," Jean said.
Neighbors share their disgust. Lloyd and Elsie Gower, who live a few hundred yards away, can't believe someone would vandalize the replica.
Lloyd, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard in World War II, fondly remembers his interaction with the real deal many years ago.
"It's our national symbol," he said. "Every time we came back off of convoy into New York harbor, I'd wave to the old girl."
"Everybody who drives up that road enjoys looking at it," Elsie said. "It's kind of sad, especially when it's marred the way it was."
Kalkaska Undersheriff Abe DeVol said his deputies found no evidence at the scene. Police confront vandalism on a regular basis, but damage to someone's prized possession strikes a nerve with DeVol.
"That kind of thing just really, really bothers me," he said.
But such incidents often are hard to solve without tips, DeVol said.
"It comes down to needing anyone with any information to step up and call us," he said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the department at 258-3350.
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