Reagan Critic Admits Slashing Paintings Worth $490,000 : Reagan Critic Charged in N.Y. With Defacing Paintings Worth $490,000 With Religious Slogans
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ALBANY, N.Y. — A man investigated by the Secret Service for criticizing President Reagan confessed Friday to slashing eight paintings worth $490,000 and defacing them with religious slogans, police said.
Eugene D. Burt, 24, who operates a shoeshine stand at a state office complex, was charged with criminal mischief, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, police said. He was ordered held for psychiatric evaluation.
The eight paintings are part of a $12-million collection of modern art in the concourse of the building where Burt worked. Seven were destroyed, police said.
The Secret Service investigated Burt in September after he wrote a letter to reporters here denouncing Reagan with religious references, police said.
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