A 14-year-old Hermiston boy and his mother were cited by Hermiston police in connection with a recent rash of graffiti vandalism.
The teen was cited on two counts of first-degree criminal mischief; two counts of criminal conspiracy; and eight counts of unlawful application of graffiti before being lodged at the juvenile detention center in Pendleton.
His mother, Maria J. Torres, 41, 1210 W. Ridgeway Ave., was charged with two counts of failure to supervise a child.
The Hermiston Police Department estimates that several thousand dollars of damage and clean-up effort was caused by the vandalism.
“This spree over the course of two weekends impacted numerous businesses in Hermiston,” Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said. The chief said numerous officers worked to identify the 14-year-old as the person responsible for the graffiti. Officer Mike Ellwood and Training Officer Doug Gill were the lead officers in the case.
Edmiston said citing parents of children involved in graffiti cases is part of the department’s zero tolerance policy.
“The intent and rationale behind having a zero tolerance stance on graffiti specific to the parents is intended to hold them directly – and financially through the courts – responsible for the damage caused.”
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