The identity of the person behind the pranks, who became known as the Googly Eye Bandit, was unknown. That is until Jeff Keith came forward to claim responsibility.
Mr. Keith, 53, who runs the Guardian Group, a nonprofit focused on disrupting sex trafficking in the United States, said that in mid-December he sneaked into the middle of a roundabout and put the googly eyes on some public art.
“Big Ears” by Joe Halko, a sculpture depicting a family of deer, became googly-eyed — including the little fawn between its mother’s legs.
“I love making people smile,” Mr. Keith said in an interview on Saturday. “Other people started joining in. I’m not taking credit for all of them. That’s the cool part.”
Mr. Keith, who has lived in Bend for over two decades, said he went to the city offices and offered to pay for the cleanup but he had not heard back.
Bend’s communications department did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday about Mr. Keith’s offer and whether the city had identified him as the prankster.
“Honestly, they just want to be done with it,” Mr. Keith said of the city. He added that he came forward only after he learned of the potential damage the googly eyes had caused.
Update on this: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/26/us/googly-eyes-sculptures-oregon.html