A man faces preliminary charges, including intimidation and vandalism, after IMPD says he spray-painted symbols and messages on two Masonic landmarks.
INDIANAPOLIS August 31, 2026 — A man has been arrested and is facing preliminary charges of intimidation and vandalism after Masonic building staff say he damaged two downtown landmarks and confronted employees after gaining entry into one of them.
Staff at the Indianapolis Masonic Temple say it started at the Scottish Rite Cathedral on Meridian Street, where a man allegedly spray-painted odd messages, including “You who place brick above all," and symbols across the building’s limestone exterior.
Staff say he then broke parts of a window before crossing the street to the Indianapolis Masonic Temple, where he continued spray-painting the exterior and eventually got inside through an open door.
The security guard had inadvertently left a vestibule door propped open, which allowed the man to gain entry into the main lobby of the building, staff said. The suspect then continued his paint spree on walls, statues and photo frames.
He then confronted staff, including Eric Vermuelen, who asked why he was doing this.
"(The vandal) said, 'Because of what the Freemasons have done,' and I said, 'What have we done? You're the one that came in and attacked us,'" Vermuelen said.
He then allegedly told Vermeulen he was going outside to wait for police. Vermeulen says IMPD met him outside where he was taken into custody.
Chris Hodapp got the call after the incident.
"The very first thing I thought of was, 'Here we go,'" recalled Hodapp. "It's come to us locally because it's been happening all over the country and all over the world."
The incident has caused staff to re-evaluate their security procedures. They say the former security guard had been told repeatedly in the past to not prop the door open. The temple says they contract with an outside security agency. On Monday, they asked for a new guard.
"Whether (the vandal) was going to hurt anybody, I don't know, but he could've gotten into the offices," Hodapp said. "Normally our security would have stopped him long before he got that far."
In the aftermath, staff are thankful no one was hurt.
"You have to count your blessings in a situation like this," Vermuelen said. "It's hard to feel good about a day when you go home and you walk through the hallway and there's vandalism there, but honestly any day you go home, you're still alive, that's a good thing."
IMPD released a statement following the incident:
"Our office is not currently aware of ongoing threats at Masonic facilities. We encourage anyone who sees suspicious or destructive behavior at any property to contact law enforcement."
