MISSION VIEJO : 4 Juveniles Caught Spraying Graffiti

Sheriff’s deputies caught four juveniles spray-painting graffiti in separate incidents last weekend, bringing to six the number of youths arrested for similar acts in the city in the past 30 days.

Three of the youths, all males between the ages of 16 and 17, were found marking a sound wall behind a shopping center on Puerta Real near Crown Valley Parkway on Sunday. Another 16-year-old boy was caught near the same location.

The wall, which is visible from the freeway, has been a favorite target of vandals, said Sheriff’s Lt. George Johnson, who said he would ask the district attorney’s office to seek the maximum penalty possible.

“We’ve been working with the D.A.’s office, trying to make (vandals) aware of how seriously we take this kind of thing,” Johnson said. “They could wind up spending time in Juvenile Hall or could be made to pay for damages. We’ll see.”

The arrests were made by a joint task force of sheriff’s deputies from Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel and Mission Viejo that was formed to combat a growing graffiti problem in South County.

Johnson said the arrested youths are all from South County.

“There is a certain perception in town that (graffiti) is done by people coming in from Santa Ana,” he said. “These (arrestees) are all local kids. Three of them had business cards in their pockets identifying them as ‘taggers.’

“We want to let people know that these are their own kids doing the damage. Parents need to know what their kids are doing.”

The other two juveniles were arrested by sheriff’s deputies just before Christmas, Johnson said.