WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) -- A cannon that was part of Wichita's Spanish-American War Memorial went missing from Central Riverside Park on Thursday. It was later found damaged. According to the City of Wichita, the cannon was captured in Cuba during the Spanish-American War in 1898 and presented to th e citizens of Wichita by Mayor Finlay Ross in 1900. The 800-pound cannon from 1794 disappeared sometime Wednesday morning. The memorial site is on Murdock, west of Nims. Spanish-American War Memorial Cannon in Central Riverside Park (Courtesy Kevin L. Crockett)Spanish-American War Memorial Cannon in Central Riverside Park (Courtesy Kevin L. Crockett)Spanish-American War Memorial Cannon in Central Riverside Park (Courtesy Kevin L. Crockett)Spanish-American War Memorial Cannon in Central Riverside Park (Courtesy Kevin L. Crockett) Doug Ballard is the citizen who discovered it was gone. He's lived in the neighborhood for 50 years and rides his bike through the park daily, so he noticed when something was wrong with one of his favorite sites when he drove by on Thursday. "I couldn't tell what was wrong, but I knew something wasn't right, so I went around the block and of course as soon as I got here, and I saw the tire marks and everything, I realized what was missing," he said. The Spanish-American War Memorial Cannon is missing from Central Riverside Park. (KSN Photo) The Spanish-American War Memorial Cannon is missing from Central Riverside Park. (KSN Photo) Police believe that someone hitched a vehicle to the cannon and pulled it off its base. Ballard thinks it was taken during daylight. "If you go over here and look, you'll see where they laid rubber when they left. Why? I don't know, unless they were in a big hurry, and they broke the curb," he said. Police narrowed down the search after interviewing dozens of neighbors, eventually locating the cannon around 5 p.m. at a residence in the 2000 block of N. Woodland. "Unfortunately, the cannon is significantly damaged," WPD said on Facebook. After further investigation, a 37-year-old man from Wichita was arrested without incident in the 2300 block of N. Amidon. He was arrested on suspicion of felony theft, vandalism, possession of methamphetamine, and warrants. Man charged with stealing from Kansas Catholic school WPD Captain Ronald Hunt said that, just a year after the destruction of the Jackie Robinson statue, it's depressing to see another similar situation. "It's disheartening that it affects our community. Seeing the memorial as I would come to the park with family and just see it gone now is sad," Hunt said. Ballard says for him and many neighbors, it's a head scratcher in disbelief why someone would damage Wichita history. "That's a cannon from well before 1898, it's irreplaceable. I guess you can't rule anything out anymore," he said. Hunt said police are working with Wichita Park and Recreation, but it is unclear if the cannon is damaged beyond repair. ...read more read less