Former congressional candidate arrested for painting pink stripe on state capitol doors

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - A Noank man was arrested for painting a pink stripe on the state capitol doors last Friday.

The suspect was identified by capitol police as 36-year-old Kevin Blacker, a former congressional candidate for the Green Party.

Capitol police said the incident happened around 3:30 p.m. on Friday.

The incident was recorded by video cameras, and law enforcement said investigators examined the footage to figure out who did it.

Blacker was served with an arrest warrant around 3:50 p.m. on Tuesday.

State police worked with Groton Town Police to locate and detain Blacker. He was taken into state police custody and was transported to Hartford.

“Blacker’s arrest charges stem from an act of vandalism committed at the historic state capitol building in which pink paint was applied to the antique and distinctive wood and glass doors of the building,” said capitol police.

Maintenance crews alerted capitol police to the vandalism after it was noticed.

Capitol police said surveillance video showed Blacker dressed like a maintenance worker as he walked up to the capitol with a paint roller and paint pan.

Law enforcement went to an address linked to Blacker on Saturday, but he was not there. Officials said Blacker contacted investigating officers, but he refused to discuss the incident.

Blacker was charged with second-degree criminal mischief and second-degree breach of peace.

He was held on a $500 bond and expected to appear in court on Wednesday.

Blacker was a former congressional candidate who ran against Democrat Rep. Joe Courtney for Connecticut’s 2nd Congressional District seat.

His last campaign was in November. He finished third with only .08 percent of the vote behind Courtney (58.1 percent) and Republican candidate Mike France (40.3 percent).

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