Teenagers Caught Red-Handed and Arrested for Graffiti
By Jacob Hancock - 20 Nov 2006



Two young men, 16 and 17, are in Provo's juvenile detention center after an officer caught them red-handed, and black-and-green-handed.

When Orem Officer James Vance inspected the hands of two young men in an area where a citizen complained of suspicious activity early Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006, he found splotches of paint on their hands that matched a 90-foot-long trail of freshly painted graffiti on a nearby wall.

"An inspection of their hands was prima facie evidence of their guilt," said Lt. Doug Edwards, Orem police spokesman.

Vance said the two teenagers threw several cans of spay paint over a wall before he stopped them, according to his police report.

Both young men -- one from Orem, the other from Richfield -- had allegedly been drinking alcohol before they reportedly sprayed the walls.

In an initial police report, officers estimated that it would cost more than $1,000 to remove the graffiti. Edwards said if the damage did not amount to $1,000, the juveniles probably would have gone home that night, but because the amount warrants a felony for adults, the young men were taken to the local juvenile detention center on three charges: criminal mischief, curfew violation and illegal consumption of alcohol.

Edwards said he didn't know if the graffiti images were gang-related but says photos of the wall would likely be taken and investigated further.

"We can't be everywhere at once, so we depend on the public watching out for us," Edwards said. "That's what happened here. We caught these guys because someone was watching out. It makes a huge difference."