Suspect in stabbing now has graffiti woes

LINDA REILLY , Times Correspondent

UPPER DARBY -- An eyewitness who saw a man spray-paint ‘‘No Use’’ on a telephone pole alerted police who later captured the suspect.
Lawrence Dugan Jr., 21, of the 8900 block of West Chester Pike, Upper Darby, was charged with 26 counts of criminal mischief and related offenses for allegedly spray- painting the useless message on poles, signs, playground equipment, walls, a tractor trailer and a dumpster in the Kirklyn, Highland Park and 69th Street sections of the township.

He was arraigned Wednesday by District Justice Ann Berardocco after he was held over for trial for allegedly stabbing a drinking buddy seven times on May 12 during an argument.

Detective Lt. George Rhoades Jr. credited Officer Mark Brown and Graffiti Task Force Officer William Sides Jr. for scanning the community and locating the additional incidents of graffiti and linking the sprayed "tags" to Dugan.

According to Rhoades, the officers obtained a search warrant for Dugan’s residence and seized several items from the defendant’s room with the tag ‘‘No Use,’’ including two practice books, two shoeboxes, various papers and other objects.

Sides photographed all locations of the criminal mischief and cataloged all the objects seized as evidence.

Bail was set at 10 percent of $10,000 for the charges of 14 counts of institutional vandalism and 26 counts each of criminal mischief, defiant trespass and possessing instruments of crime.

In the stabbing case, the victim, Michael Kravitz, of Drexel Hill, testified they were drinking beers at Dugan’s residence when they got into an argument and he attempted to leave.

‘‘He stabbed me in the back saying, ‘I hope you die,’ ’’ Kravitz said noting he didn’t realize he was stabbed in the back until later. ‘‘I felt a knife in my neck. It was protruding out of my neck. I tried to get away from him and I started to defend myself.’’

Kravitz was treated for the stab wounds at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and has not been able to return to work.

Berardocco held Dugan on charges of simple assault, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, terrorist threats and possessing instruments of crime.

He will be arraigned June 24 in the county courthouse for the assault.

The preliminary hearing for the graffiti case was scheduled for May 26 in district court.