Two teenagers were arrested early Wednesday morning on graffiti-related charges.
Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said a a Hermiston patrol corporal was on duty around 2:20 a.m. this morning and driving through the neighborhood in the area of W. Juniper Avenue and S.W. Ninth Street when he observed two males dressed in dark clothing crossing the roadway in front of him. As the corporal neared the two, he observed graffiti on a fence. The two males took off running and as the corporal exited his vehicle, he could smell fresh paint in the area.
A 15-year-old Irrigon male and a 16-year-old Boardman male were located hiding under a trailer in the 800 block of W. Juniper Avenue. Both males were taken into custody for curfew. Further investigation led to numerous locations in the southwest section of town having been subjected to graffiti including residential victims, business victims, and public property of the city of Hermiston.
Both males were charged with first-degree felony criminal mischief, unlawfully applying graffiti, unlawful possession of graffiti implements, and curfew. Both males were released to their respective parents and citations were issued for failure to supervise minor child. Cited parents were:
· Nadia Aguilar, 38 years of age, of 385 S. First St., Irrigon.
· Marina Sanchez, 44 years of age, of 600 Wilson Road, #E7, Boardman.
“The corporal did a good job getting out into the neighborhood and being proactive,” said Edmiston. “Every one of our officers take great offense when our citizens are subjected to the intentional vandalism caused by people who spread their propaganda with graffiti. This duo caused an incredible amount of damage on the entire west side of town. We believe clean-up costs could be in the thousands of dollars.
“Our department continues to take the strong stance if a child wants to act in this manner and graffiti is involved, we will take action every single time against the parent or responsible adult as someone other than society should be holding these kids accountable.”
