Warrant to be served on man suspected of graffiti vandalism

RITA BAUER, The Tullahoma News Staff Writer April 16, 2004

Gang graffiti artists can't stand to have their work removed.

Knowing that, Tullahoma police had city workers cover up profanity and gang slogans that were written underneath the Carroll Street viaduct last week with a fresh coat of paint, then staged a late-night surveillance of the area that eventually led to the arrest of a suspect. A warrant was expected to be served on a 20-year-old Tullahoma man on charges of one count of felony vandalism and two counts of felony destruction of property utilized by a railroad, according to Tullahoma Police Investigator Jason Ferrell. The man was apprehended Friday night after a five-hour police stakeout of the viaduct area, Ferrell said. Charges are also expected to be filed later against two juveniles, alleged to be involved, Ferrell said. Graffiti artwork painted after midnight Tuesday and Wednesday last week reportedly resulted in an estimated $12,000 in damages to two CSX Railroad signal houses on Atlantic Street and a train engine, owned by Caney Fork & Western Railroad, that was parked on the tracks at Roosevelt and Carroll streets in Tullahoma. On those same nights, and on at least three occasions prior to that, the area underneath the Carroll Street viaduct was covered with spray- painted gang slogans which cost the City Public Works Department an estimated $1,744 in paint and labor to clean up. Often right after the viaduct is repainted, the artists return, sometimes painting "We're Back" on the walls along with their slogans, Wayne Limbaugh, Public Works director said. "We had the viaduct re-painted knowing that they would come and deface it again as they have done in the past," Ferrell said. "We have had a suspect in mind for quite some time. He was observed in a vehicle in the area Friday night and stopped, then a search of the vehicle was conducted, resulting in the finding of several spray paint cans, some of which are known to be sold over the Internet specifically for use in 'tagging', or gang graffiti." Gang slogans painted on the property here are also commonly seen in the Nashville area, Ferrell said. They include the words, "Supa", "Revok", "Pako", "MSK", AM7"and "Benon" spray painted in red, blue white and black paint. "Tullahoma police will continue to watch for this kind of destruction of property in the city," Capt. Ron Cunningham said. "It will not be tolerated, and it will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."