Minnesota artist Josie Lewis recently saw a hard-earned project turn into a disaster while she was out of town. The artist, who boasts over a million followers across Instagram and TikTok, returned from a trip to find her new studio space in St. Paul destroyed after a break-in. According to Pioneer Press, the damage is estimated between $150,000 and $200,000, which is actually more than the couple spent on the renovations themselves.
Lewis is well known for her texture acrylic paintings and massive glass tile mosaics at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. In a post, she claimed, “My studio building got vandalized, and there is over $200,000 in damages. The entire space had to be gutted. And just wait until you hear who did it.” She noted that after they bought the 100-year-old building, her husband Ryan Lucey did most of the renovation himself over six months, to save on costs.
She alleged that “someone broke into the upper level, closed the drains and turned on all the water. They also broke most of the windows and dumped paint all over the place, including on brand new appliances.” The resulting damage was staggering. The water was flowing for four or five days, so it leaked through the ceiling. Per Pioneer Press, when a subcontractor arrived on June 17th, the ceiling had already collapsed.
The damage was extensive
Lewis stated, “All the drywall, the flooring, the subfloor had to be removed. All of our tools were here since we were doing work ourselves on the building. They all got wet. Over $20,000 in value. The furnace and the water heater in the basement, destroyed. There was mold everywhere. A disaster mitigation company came and stripped everything out and gutted it.” In a similar case, a tattoo studio in Texas was recently trashed with 70K in damages.
According to Lewis, “the perpetrator was a 12-year-old kid. He got paint on his feet and walked home, leaving tracks right to his front door. We later found out he was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the crime.”
Per Pioneer Press, investigators confirmed this by placing his monitor at the scene. St Paul police spokeswoman Alyssa Arcand stated that there are “20 known incidents related to this juvenile since March 2025 in St. Paul.” Most of these cases are classified as criminal damage to property.
“What’s really tough about the situation is that it’s this young kid that is causing these problems and I understand the complexity of that,” Lewis told the Pioneer Press. “But it seems like he kind of has a blank check to terrorize the neighborhood, and there’s just no consequence.”
A big reason for this is that the legal landscape in Minnesota is shifting. Per the outlet, a new law going into effect August 1 dictates that children under age 13 cannot be charged with a crime and will instead be referred to the child protection system. The current system allows those 10 and older to go through the juvenile delinquency process. However, it is unknown if this alleged perpetrator has a delinquency petition filed. Since he is a minor, all information about him is kept confidential .
In the meantime, the upcoming change has raised concerns about accountability. “It appears something needs to be fixed because there can’t be somebody in the community that can create such damage and hardship for people,” Lucey noted to Pioneer Press.
Lewis’ community online was stunned. One Instagram user commented, “How [in] the world are the parents not being held accountable for this??? AN ANKLE MONITOR AT 12 and no one’s going after his guardians?!?!” Another user on TikTok echoed this sentiment, “Sue the [parents] for the damages. File a civil suit. It’s complete bull that the kid won’t be held responsible.”
Others expressed concern for the child’s well-being, as an Instagrammer pointed out, “20 times & 12 yrs old?? A scream for help, so sad. Very sorry this happened to you. Hope the boy gets the help he needs!” A TikToker kind of agreed, stating, “He needs to be in a FACILITY. Clearly he is not okay being in his home.” In a different case, police responding to reports of vandalism in Michigan found a potential imprisonment instead.
Instead of creating a GoFundMe, Lewis and Lucey are now working with their insurance and encouraging supporters to join their subscription-based Art Heart Academy to help them rebuild. Additionally, city leaders are suggesting the couple apply for city programs to help offset costs. Despite the massive disruption, Lewis remains focused on her vision for the space.
“My long-range dream and vision is to create something for the neighborhood, to be able to invite people to come in just for fun and to make art,” she said.
Published: Jul 20, 2026 02:20 pm