Teens suspected of more than 60 acts of graffiti arrested on charges of felony vandalism
Tagging damage estimated at $60,000 over two weeks
By Kyle Jorrey kjorrey@theacorn.com

Six members of a local tagging crew suspected of causing about $60,000 worth of damage in the city over a twoweek period in December were arrested last week following an extensive investigation by the Simi Valley Police Department's special problems section.

Simi residents Stephen Mansfield, 18; Andrew Tristan, 18; Bridget Fonokalafi, 18; Leonardo Munoz, 18; and two 17-year-olds were all booked on suspicion of felony vandalism and conspiracy to commit vandalism. The district attorney's office has said it will pursue the charges.

The charge of felony vandalism is applied when an incident causes more than $400 worth of damage. In this case, the tagging crew in question is suspected of being involved in several such incidents, according to Simi Valley Police Sgt. Darin Muehler.

Muehler, who headed up the department's investigation, said the crew is suspected of committing 120 different acts of graffiti in early December but could only be linked through evidence- primarily obtained through confessions- to around 60.

"They did so much damage in such a short period of time. They went so big and did these huge murals," Muehler said. "They got their message out there, but now they're going to have to pay for it."

There was not one big break in this case, Muehler said, but rather evidence was collected over the course of a few weeks through diligent police work.

"The only thing we had when this all started was one name and one eyewitness," the sergeant said. "It was a lot of work. It all came down to interviews, and during that interview process, doing some research and footwork, we got them to roll on each other."

The widespread nature of their vandalism, which affected homes and business owners across the city, didn't help the suspects' case.

"The sheer volume that they did brought them to the front of the stove," Muehler said.

Special Problems Chief Lt. Greg Riegert commended his unit for bringing the suspects to justice so quickly. Graffiti cases are some of the most difficult to solve, he said, because there are rarely eyewitnesses, and tangible evidence is hard to come by.

"It can be very difficult if you don't get the first person to admit to it. That's why we try to get teachers at schools and our school resource officers involved," Riegert said. "We want to try and find out if they are bragging about what they did- and they often do."

According to Riegert, the parents of the minors involved in these crimes could be hit with bills from the city if their kids are convicted.

"We can give them a bill and say this is what it cost to clean up and investigate this case. It could be up to $10,000," Riegert said.

Ironically, just last month SVPD beefed up its gang and graffiti unit to include one sergeant and four officers. Thanks to this additional staff, Riegert said, the community should expect to see more busts like this one.

"Now that we have a full staff to address these issues, I think there's a good chance you're going to see more prosecutions of taggers and those who want deface the city," Riegert said.