Bend man, 22, arrested on 52 criminal mischief counts, accused of spraying XUKA graffiti tags across the city
(Update: Adding video)
Bend Police 'takes these sorts of crimes seriously,' asks to hear from any other victims
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A 22-year-old Bend man was arrested Sunday on 52 criminal mischief charges, accused of spraying dozens of XUKA graffiti tags around the city over the past five months.
Starting in February, Bend Police began receiving complaints and taking notice of numerous of the graffiti tags on businesses, street signs and other surfaces around the city, Communications Manager Sheila Miller said.
Police officers and community service officers began to document the tags and investigate who might be responsible, Miller said. They identified dozens of tags that could be attributed to the same person, including one on Bend City Hall.
"The graffiti caused thousands of dollars' worth of damage to property owned by public agencies and private businesses," Miller said in a news release.
This month, police collected evidence at the scene of a fresh XUKA tag. That helped officers identify the 22-year-old Bend resident as the suspect responsible for the prolific tagging throughout the city.
NewsChannel 21 policy is not to name arrested individuals until and unless formal charges are filed.
Bend Police applied for and were granted a search warrant for the man’s car and apartment in the 63100 block of Britta Street.
The raid occurred shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday, Miller said, and evidence of the graffiti’s crimes, including an extensive collection of spray paint, was found in the suspect’s apartment and car.
The man was arrested on suspicion of 50 counts of second-degree criminal mischief and two counts of first-degree criminal mischief, and he was booked into the Deschutes County Jail. He was booked into the jail shortly before 8 a.m. Sunday and released on his own recognizance at 9:45 a.m., pending an initial court appearance on July 16, a jail representative said.
Additional charges may be forthcoming, Miller said.
In Oregon, first-degree criminal mischief is a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and fines of $125,000. Second-degree criminal mischief is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and fines of $6,250.
If your property has been tagged with a XUKA tag, and you have not yet reported it, Miller asked that you please contact the Bend Police Department through nonemergency dispatch at 541-693-6911 and reference Case #2024-00018483.
"Tagging and graffiti are property damage," Miller said. "The defacing of property causes unnecessary expense for businesses and local government, and the Bend Police Department takes these sorts of crimes seriously and will continue to investigate those who deface property in our community."
It's far from the first graffiti in Bend. Police were looking late last summer for a tagger who had hit several places in downtown Bend.
