Charges coming for 2 graffiti artists who allegedly caused thousands in damage, St. Cloud police say
Police in central Minnesota say they have identified two graffiti artists responsible for thousands of dollars worth of damage over the last few months.
The St. Cloud Police Department said charges are pending against a 22-year-old man and 16-year-old boy, whose primary graffiti tags are "BESH" and "VANISH," respectively.
VANISH alone is a suspect in 15 vandalism cases resulting in more than $3,000 in damage, police said, with BESH believed responsible for thousands more.
The Stearns County Attorney's Office is reviewing multiple cases for each suspect and felony charges are possible.
"Graffiti will not be tolerated in this city and continued police resources will be utilized to seek criminal charges on any individual that wants to vandalize property within the City of St. Cloud," police said.
Anyone with information about graffiti in the city is asked to call the police department at 320-251-1200 or contact Tri-County Crime Stoppers.
Last week, police in St. Cloud warned of another recent crime trend: car thieves targeting Kias and Hyundais. After 30 thefts or attempts in the last few weeks, police recommend owners of those vehicles contact their manufacturers to fix security flaws and use a steering wheel lock to deter thieves.