Crime & Safety
Graffiti in Brandon, Post What You See
Even with a crackdown on graffiti by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, new sightings are not unusual. Beware, though, the penalties are stiff. Best to channel your "art" elsewhere.
Reported last month were the "thousands" of graffiti tag marks at the heart of an investigation that led to the arrest of three youths in Brandon.
It was at the site of one of the more extensive displays of this graffiti that representatives from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office talked about the serious ramifications of graffiti, regardless of whether it is gang- or art-related.
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- See
- See Graffiti Crackdown Videos: 'We Had To Get on Top of This'
Unchecked graffiti leads to the "perpetual decay of everything," said Larry McKinnon, a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesperson.
Instances of graffiti are not hard to find, regardless of the ramifications they carry for the perpetrators. Those consequences include possible jail time, fines and civil liabilities, "with various businesses for restitution," according to Lt. Frank Losat, who led the months-long investigation into the latest round of graffiti markings, which included the words "swingset," "krast," "dash" and "rayek."
Find out what's happening in Brandonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Juvenile graffiti? Parents are responsible for civil liabilities, Losat added.
What keeps graffiti at bay is due diligence.
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Have you spotted instances of graffiti in the Greater Brandon area? Post your photos with the link above. Tell us what you see in the comment box below.
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