MUSKOGEE, Okla. — The story of Bass Reeves -- the first African American Deputy United States Marshal -- dates back more than 150 years.
"After he spent over 30 years catching outlaws and criminals, he decided to come to Muskogee to retire," Three Rivers Museum Director Angie Rush said. "But he ended up on our police force."
WATCH: 'They're as mad as I am this happened': Bass Reeves Statue vandalized in Muskogee
Rush says earlier this year, the famous enforcer of the law received a statue in Muskogee, looking over the area he once patrolled.
"We just placed him here in January of this year," Rush said. "And now somebody's done this."
Sometime in the last two months, Reeves' bronze baton was cut off his statue.
"If you run your finger, you can tell it's been cut," Reeves said.
Vandalism, she doesn't understand.
"These people don't care about things," Rush said. "It may be minimal to some people, but it's a huge thing to this museum and this community."
Rush says they've been going through security camera footage, hoping to find answers, adding the frustration extends from beyond the museum staff to the town of Muskogee.
"They're as mad as I am that this has happened," Rush said. "That somebody would degrade it like that. This is recognition of not only him and our history, it's recognition of the Muskogee police department."
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