16-year-old confesses to $10,000 in vandalism

BY J.D. GALLOP
FLORIDA TODAY

PALM BAY -- Police are blaming at least $10,000 in vandalism on a 16-year-old officers said crept around at night, wearing black clothes and facepaint.

Ivon Lee V was arrested last week and charged with loitering, prowling and trespassing on a construction site. More charges are pending, officers said.

Graffiti had been sprayed on fresh concrete, portable bathrooms flipped over and tires on construction trailers slashed, officials said. Graffiti also was sprayed on walls at Riviera Elementary School.

"He had just completed some martial arts classes. I think his point was to see how sneaky he could be," said Lt. Joe Eakins of the Palm Bay Police Department. "He failed."

Lee could face additional charges as well as costs for the damages and is expected to go to court on Aug. 11, said Lt. Doug Dechenne, a spokesman for the police department.

"He told officers, 'I'm just hiding from things in the night,' " Dechenne said. "He started confessing that he was the only one involved."

The vandalism had been reported during several weeks at the construction area for a new subdivision off Riviera Boulevard.

There also were cryptic messages left behind -- including some in crayon and markers that read "Shadow Legion" -- for the builders taunting them for leaving behind work plans he found and dumped in a small nearby lake, Eakins said.

Police began extra patrols around the construction site last week.

"There he was, standing like Robin the Boy Wonder. He had the face paint around his eyes," Eakins said.

"His parents were sleeping, obviously, and they didn't know he was out. He knew he shouldn't have been doing it."