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PROVO -- After weeks of dealing with graffiti popping up all over central Provo, police finally tracked down the person behind the paint.
Police say 18-year-old Connor Rollins will be charged with 31 counts of graffiti and one count of possession of graffiti supplies. Catching him, police say, was easier than they thought it would be.
Provo police officers spotted the same moniker, or tag, popping up on buildings across the city for several weeks. "Fences, cinder block buildings, homes -- yes, all over," said Sam Hunter, a community oriented officer with the Provo City Police Department.
But a traffic stop led officers straight to the person responsible.
On Feb. 19, an officer pulled Rollins over and discovered large markers, spray paint and sketches of his work inside the car. During an interview about the evidence, Rollins admitted to 29 graffiti cases. Officers connected him to two others as well.
"He was caught by himself, but a lot of times they will go out bombing in bombing or tagging groups," Hunter said."Each kid has their own moniker they try to get out there as much as they can. It's kind of a competition."
Officers showed KSL some of the graffiti Rollins was responsible for. They say over a three-week period, he tagged at least 31 locations. Twelve of those were along businesses in central Provo, while others were on houses or fences nearby.
Provo City spokeswoman Helen Anderson says it's a relief to finally know who is responsible for the vandalism, not only so the city can put a stop to it, but also so residents can feel closure.
"The thing about graffiti is you don't hear a lot about it after you see it," she said. "It gets cleaned up really fast. In our city we have a 48-hour policy and so a lot of times it's out of the minds of residents after it's gone, so it's really nice when we can eventually hold somebody accountable for that."
Graffiti in Utah is a class A misdemeanor, which is punishable with up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
E-mail: spark@ksl.com
