Financial contributions from angry citizens have caused a reward to grow to $10,000 for information on who vandalized a Confederate monument in a South Georgia cemetery.
The GBI and local authorities are investigating the damage to the Screven County Confederate Dead Monument in Sylvania, the Statesboro Herald reported.
The statue, which was virtually destroyed, was erected in 1909 and moved to the city cemetery in the 1950s, according to the newspaper.
The reward, up from the $2,000 originally offered by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, shows how outraged citizens are about the vandalism, which was discovered Aug. 31, according to a member of a local Confederate veterans group.
The increase is due to a "grassroots effort with many different donors," said Adam Bazemore of Camp 549 Sons of Confederate Veterans. "Some gave $100, some gave $500."
The statue is "priceless," he said, because it was purchased by survivors of Civil War soldiers who died in battle.
Sylvania is about 195 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.
MORE: Despite parade ban, Confederate flag displayed at annual Alpharetta event
The incident comes at a time when the Confederate flag and monuments have become contentious issues.
Earlier in August, the city of Alpharetta banned participants from carrying the flag in its annual Old Soldiers Day parade. However, some spectators carried the flag along the parade route.
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