San Diego

A UC San Diego student arrested last week in connection with the painting of more than 300 paisley designs on campus buildings has had complaints alleging three misdemeanor counts filed against her by the San Diego city attorney’s office. Lee Ann Okada, 22, will be arraigned May 1 in Municipal Court on charges of malicious mischief, petty theft and possession of a restricted substance. Okada was arrested March 19 on suspicion of two felonies--conspiracy and misappropriation of public funds--for her alleged part in a March 6 prank in which 300 paisley designs were painted on 40 campus buildings. About 10 students who called themselves the Underground Paisley Army claimed responsibility for the stunt, explaining that it painted the bright red designs to protest the “cold blankness of cement” of campus buildings. UCSD police have said Okada was “a principal” in the incident, which will cost the university more than $10,000 to clean up. Okada’s petty theft charge stems from an allegation that she used $3.18 from UCSD’s state-funded student radio station to buy the paisley stencil used to paint the designs.