Graffiti 'artist' nabbed
Suffolk detectives have also tied suspect to Moriches markings
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Graffiti on the former Long Island Cauliflower Association building on Mill Road.
The suspect, Jed Stout, 17, was then charged by Suffolk County Police detectives for making graffiti in Center Moriches and East Moriches earlier this month.
In the Riverhead bust, Mr. Stout was allegedly drunk when a highway department employee spotted him spray-painting the Long Island Cauliflower Association storage building on Mill Road at about 4 a.m. last Wednesday, police said.
Investigators are now seeking to determine whether Mr. Stout, who has friends in Riverhead, is responsible for other "tagging" in town.
"We're looking into the possibility of more charges being filed against him; I believe some of the tags are in other locations," Sgt. Loggia said. "I would hope the courts give a stringent sentence. This stuff is all over town."
Sgt. Loggia said Mr. Stout was not cooperative with detectives during interviews.
His being tied to the Moriches incidents is big news in that area as well, especially in Center Moriches, where the Jan. 15 graffiti spree to which Mr. Stout is being tied has decimated the quaint look of the hamlet's shopping district.
The recent increase of graffiti and vandalism in Riverhead Town has drawn the attention of Town Board members, who publicly discussed the issue with police officers on several occasions.
Police say finding graffiti artists is often difficult, unless police are notified by residents who witness the crime. Riverhead Supervisor Phil Cardinale called on the public to be vigilant.
"I'm hopeful that if he in fact has been doing a great deal of the graffiti in town that it will now stop, and if he hasn't been doing the mass of it, that the example of his arrest will dissuade others to stop as well," Mr. Cardinale added.
The Council for Unity, a group comprised of local school students and community members, is planning a town-wide graffiti cleanup day in March.
tgannon@timesreview.com
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1 comments found
haha : 5/19/2009
my dude hahahaha ...they dont understand graffiti will never stop
