Two arrested in vandalism case at Mississippi State

NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 30: Mississippi State Bulldogs cheerleaders celebrate after a touchdown against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during play at the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl at LP Field on December 30, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee. Mississippi State won 23-17. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 30: Mississippi State Bulldogs cheerleaders celebrate after a touchdown against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during play at the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl at LP Field on December 30, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee. Mississippi State won 23-17. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

A five month old vandalism case on the campus of Mississippi State has had two arrests made according to MSU police.

Update: According to the Starkville Daily News, the suspects have been identified as Timothy Yeldell and Mathes Tillinghast.

In September of 2018, Mississippi State alums and fans were angered to find out the Bully statue that sits outside Davis Wade Stadium was vandalized. The vandalism appeared to be done by an Arkansas fan or fans, as Bully was painted red, and it had Woo Pig on the base of the statue.

It was a relatively easy clean up, but it still angered those who hold Mississippi State and its campus close to their hearts. With the vandalism taking place shortly after football season began, alums and fans both didn’t want visitors coming to campus and seeing the Bully statue in the state it was in after the vandalism incident.

But there has apparently been a break in the case. The Mississippi State police announced on Twitter that arrests have been made. According to the campus police department, two suspects have been arrested, but there have not been any names released.

There was some speculation by people that Arkansas fans were not the actual culprits. Some thought it was actually Ole Miss fans who defaced the Bully statue, and in an attempt to throw investigators off, used Arkansas and the Woo Pig cheer.

We don’t know yet if those speculations were correct as the Mississippi State police department has not released the names of the individuals arrested. Perhaps they will release those in the not so distant future and provide some clarity on exactly who it was that defaced the Mississippi State campus and what their motives were for doing so.