18-Year-Old Arrested After Tagging Spree Hits Dozens Of Grass Valley Businesses
GRASS VALLEY (CBS13) — A young man suspected of tagging dozens of businesses and one home across Grass Valley over the past few days has been arrested, police say.
The Grass Valley Police Department says, between Sunday and Tuesday, 28 businesses and a private residence along South Auburn Street, McKnight Way and Freeman lane were tagged with several similar messages.
Officers say a lot of the tagging is about 6-feet wide and is estimated to cost into tens of thousands of dollars, in total, to clean up or replace.
With the help of tips from community members and surveillance video, undercover officers started following 18-year-old Nathaniel Nunez De Arco as he wandered the area Tuesday night. Detectives say De Arco matched the description of the tagging suspect exactly.
After he was spotted meeting up with some friends at a home, officers moved in and took him into custody. De Arco reportedly had paint a splatter on his clothing that was the same color as the one used in the tagging spree, officers say.
De Arco has since been arrested and is now facing felony vandalism charges.