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WARREN -- Surveillance video shows the moments when a man began vandalizing the Trumbull County Courthouse on Wednesday evening.
Maj. Tony Villanueva, director of operations at the Trumbull County Sheriff's Office, said Christopher Gembicki, 36, of Vine Street, Girard, turned himself in at the Warren Police Department early Thursday morning.
According to a report, Villanueva said the man told officers he "had a guilty conscience" and "wanted to do the right thing" after four first-floor courthouse windows were damaged.
"This is a very old historical building, so it's not an easy fix to just replace the window," Villanueva said. "So restitution will need to be made at some point in time, and I don't think they understand the consequences or the cost when they do this."
Gembicki is being held in Trumbull County jail charged with fourth-degree felony vandalism. According to the county jail website, Gembicki's bond is set at $5,000.
The surveillance video from outside of the courthouse shows a man wearing a dark-colored hoodie with the hood up to conceal himself as he approaches the east side of the building, near the Trumbull County Probate Court wing of the building . He throws a rock into the window several times, cracking the first panel of the double paned window to the jury conference room.
The man identified as Gembicki then is seen on video moving on to the windows of the courtroom of Judge James A. Fredericka who told the Tribune Chronicle that despite the "ridiculous" incident, the probate court operated without incident Thursday morning.
The rest of the 10-minute video provided by the sheriff's office and police show a man walking around the downtown square several times. On some occasions he walked back up to the courthouse to observe the damage he allegedly had caused to the building.
The damage was estimated on the police report to be about $12,000 to $17,000.
Bill Hart, operations manager for the county maintenance department, said the county has two windows in storage that could replace two of the damaged ones if they fit properly. The other two, Hart said, would be replaced through a window repair company.
A similar courthouse vandalism incident occurred in November 2021.
Joanna McCane, 44, of Youngstown earlier this year was sentenced to five years of probation and $5,000 restitution for the damage she caused.
McCane pleaded guilty in February to vandalism, a fourth-degree felony after breaking about 12 windows at the historic courthouse by throwing rocks.
McCane was accused of causing damage to the courthouse on Nov. 27, 2021, the day she was released from an overnight stay at the county jail across the street.