SIMI VALLEY : 12 Arrested in 30 Graffiti Incidents

East valley sheriff’s deputies and Simi Valley police arrested a dozen people in connection with more than 30 graffiti incidents in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley, authorities said Wednesday.

In Thousand Oaks, sheriff’s deputies arrested seven juveniles and three adults on suspicion of vandalism after a three-week surveillance operation by the Special Enforcement Detail.

Richard Rodney, 20, of Moorpark was arrested for allegedly spray-painting a block wall at a condominium complex next to Avenida de las Flores and California 23.

Also arrested on suspicion of vandalism were Shelly Gall, 19, of Newbury Park and Drew Fallon, 20, of Thousand Oaks. Gall was arrested on suspicion of committing 12 acts of vandalism with damage totaling nearly $4,000, deputies said.

Deputies said the graffiti is probably not associated with gang activity, but is merely a form of “tagging,” in which the vandals use spray paint to “express their art form.”

If those arrested are charged and convicted, the Sheriff’s Department will ask the district attorney’s office to seek a court order for the vandals to pay for costs to clean up the graffiti.

Parents of minors will be held liable for damage caused by their children, deputies said.

In Simi Valley, police arrested two adults on suspicion of vandalism after a witness allegedly saw the pair paint graffiti on a Home Base sign, a Simi Valley Police spokesman said.

Jesse James Rosen, 20, and Eric Andrew Swanson, 18, both of Simi Valley, were arrested after they allegedly spray-painted the sign in the 1300 block of Los Angeles Avenue.

Police said Rosen had paint cans with paint that matched the color of the graffiti on the mall sign. Twenty other businesses in the area were vandalized with the same color of paint, police said.