Judge Gives Oxnard Youth Record Term of 8 Years for Graffiti Vandalism
A 15-year-old Oxnard graffiti vandal has been sentenced to the California Youth Authority for eight years and four months, the harshest punishment ever given a tagger in California, officials said.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Steven Z. Perren handed down the sentence last week. The boy, whose name was not released because he is a minor, had 11 prior misdemeanor graffiti convictions, Deputy Dist. Atty. John Cordoza said.
Perren had given the boy one more chance after he was arrested in August for vandalism, Cordoza said. But three days later, the youth pulled metal springs from his Juvenile Hall bed and etched his moniker onto walls, books and a light fixture, Cordoza said.
The infamous Los Angeles tagger “Chaka” got 90 days in a sheriff’s diversion program and is working off 900 hours of community service.
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