A 15-year-old boy is facing felony vandalism charges and a hefty fine for a series of taggings in Delhi, the Merced County Sheriff’s Department reported.
Over the past several weeks, Merced Sheriff’s deputies have taken multiple reports of graffiti spray painted onto buildings and structures around Delhi, and all of them were signed by the same moniker, sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Tom MacKenzie said.
Some of the tagged structures included park benches and the Delhi Travel Center.
Last week, a witness spotted a teen spray painting a park bench and the juvenile was apprehended by a sheriff’s deputy. He was cited and released to his parents.
By connecting the moniker used on the park bench to all the other taggings, a deputy was able to obtain an arrest and search warrant for the 15-year-old. While searching the suspect’s room, the deputy found markers, paint and practice sketches of the graffiti, MacKenzie said.
The suspect admitted to the vandalisms, which will cost close to $2,000 if not more to clean up, MacKenzie said. He is not believed to be tied to any gang activity, and was booked into Juvenile Hall without bail.
Over the past several weeks, Merced Sheriff’s deputies have taken multiple reports of graffiti spray painted onto buildings and structures around Delhi, and all of them were signed by the same moniker, sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Tom MacKenzie said.
Some of the tagged structures included park benches and the Delhi Travel Center.
Last week, a witness spotted a teen spray painting a park bench and the juvenile was apprehended by a sheriff’s deputy. He was cited and released to his parents.
By connecting the moniker used on the park bench to all the other taggings, a deputy was able to obtain an arrest and search warrant for the 15-year-old. While searching the suspect’s room, the deputy found markers, paint and practice sketches of the graffiti, MacKenzie said.
The suspect admitted to the vandalisms, which will cost close to $2,000 if not more to clean up, MacKenzie said. He is not believed to be tied to any gang activity, and was booked into Juvenile Hall without bail.
