Milan police arrest two teenagers suspected in more than a dozen graffiti incidents
Milan police say they arrested two teenagers suspected in a recent spate of graffiti incidents around the city.
Officers arrested the youths, both 16, last week after interviewing them about more than a dozen vandalism reports taken from late September through early this month, Chief Jeff Lewis said.
The teens “tagged” 15 businesses, public structures and apartment complexes in or near downtown with the letters “NEXUS”, “NXS”, or “ZALE," Lewis said. They also admitted to other acts of vandalism that had not been reported to police.
Lewis said both teens were interviewed while accompanied by their parents, and they cooperated with officers about the graffiti incidents.
Damage to both the public and private properties is estimated between $1,500 and $2,000, reports said. Removing some of the markings has been a challenge because of the special spray paint used, which the teens ordered on “professional” tagging websites.
Investigators said they found spray paint consistent with what was used in the incidents among the teens’ property. Lewis said one teen also had documents directly related to the posted graffiti. He would not elaborate.
The department submitted petitions to charge the teens with malicious destruction of property in juvenile courts in both Monroe and Washtenaw counties because of where the youths live. No timeline for a possible decision on charges was available.
Lewis issued a city-wide alert last month after officers took six separate malicious destruction of property reports in a three-day span in late October. Several tips resulted from the alert, including the ones that helped police identify the teens as suspects.
“We took a lot of calls on this and it became a priority because it became such a concern in the community,” Lewis said. “Even though graffiti is seen as relatively harmless, it is a crime and, depending on the value, can be charged as a felony that will follow people the rest of their lives.”
The words or markings were specific monikers the teens used to identify themselves through their work and don't have any other significance, reports said.
Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Comments
actionjackson
Mon, Nov 15, 2010 : 4:21 p.m.
@ Matt Cooper, The charge was "negligent homicice", not manslaughter. What's the difference? You can kill someone driving on the wrong side of the road while passing several vehicles, kill a biker, injure another, and walk away with a maximum 2 year misdemeanor! Taggin can get you a felony? Same point...something needs to be changed in these laws.
Tex Treeder
Sun, Nov 14, 2010 : 7:25 p.m.
"Look at me!" is what tagging is all about. So be it. Have the little thugs wear signs describing their activities while they clean up the graffiti at their own expense. They can have lots of attention that way.
Elaine F. Owsley
Sun, Nov 14, 2010 : 8:54 a.m.
They drew attention to themselves.
Cash
Sun, Nov 14, 2010 : 4:16 a.m.
Seems like sweeping the Milan sidewalks clean and washing them down every weekend would be the best solution.
Matt Cooper
Sun, Nov 14, 2010 : 1:14 a.m.
@actionjackson Ummmm...in Michigan all forms of manslaughter are felonies. Just sayin'.
RJA
Sun, Nov 14, 2010 : midnight
I agree with Arbuckle, and I appreciate Cheif Lewis for a job well done. These 16yr.olds played and now will pay!
Killroy
Sat, Nov 13, 2010 : 6 p.m.
Samples of their work? Is it any good?
Arbuckle
Sat, Nov 13, 2010 : 5:27 p.m.
I think Chief Lewis was only trying to stress the seriousness of these offenses when he referred to the felony charge. I highly doubt two 16-year olds will ever actually be charged with felonies unless their record is already a mile long. May I offer an incredibly simple solution to the whiners out there?...don't do the crime if you can't do the time. Is it really that difficult of a concept to grasp??
glacialerratic
Sat, Nov 13, 2010 : 4:41 p.m.
Jail, great. Michigan's last growth industry. What an investment.
Sallyxyz
Sat, Nov 13, 2010 : 3:52 p.m.
Felony, yes. These punks need to be taught a lesson and have criminal records for life. Graffiti is not "art" -- it's vandalism, ugly, destructive, and costs a lot of $$ to remove. These punks need to pay for removal in addition to the consequences for the crime, jail time.
actionjackson
Sat, Nov 13, 2010 : 3:08 p.m.
Ridiculous, a felony! Negligent manslaughter for running down a biker while driving on the wrong side of the road and felony for tagging? Something is real wrong with these laws.