VAN NUYS : Man Pleads Not Guilty to Painting Graffiti at 200 Sites
An accused tagger pleaded not guilty Thursday to a rare felony vandalism charge filed against an adult for allegedly scrawling graffiti on 200 North Hollywood sites over a six-month period, according to the district attorney’s office.
Jaime Anthony Rodriguez, 20, of North Hollywood, is accused of spraying or marking his moniker, James 129, on scores of walls, street signs, curbs, street lights and billboards between May 3 and Nov. 29, causing more than $12,000 in damage, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Mitchel Harris.
Rodriguez’s case is probably the first where prosecutors reached the felony level in an adult case by adding up the cost of erasing the hundreds of tags, said Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the district attorney.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
