- James Marsden Ostler, 38, faces graffiti charges in St. George.
- Ostler is linked to 24 incidents causing over $15,000 in damages, police say.
- He also faces drug charges and has a criminal history dating back to 2006.
ST. GEORGE — A St. George man arrested four years ago for vandalizing the historic Brigham Young Winter Home in southern Utah is facing new charges accusing him of more widespread vandalism.
James Marsden Ostler, 38, was charged Monday in 5th District Court with graffiti and possession of at least 100 pounds of marijuana, second-degree felonies; failing to stop for police, a class A misdemeanor; plus possession of drug paraphernalia and interfering with an officer, class B misdemeanors.
Ostler can be connected to 24 graffiti incidents around the city, resulting in more than $15,000 in damage, according to St. George police.
St. George police made a post on their Instagram page on Feb. 20 asking for the public's help in identifying a suspected serial vandal. In the comments, someone stated that it might be Ostler, according to a police booking affidavit.
About 45 minutes later, Ostler was arrested.
Investigators say they compared surveillance photos with prior mugshots and Ostler's social media pages "and confirmed it to be the same individual," the affidavit alleges. Officers went to Ostler's home and placed him into custody after he briefly resisted arrest.
At the jail, detectives questioned Ostler about the meaning of some of his graffiti tagging.
"He did not deny that he did the tags, but would just ask me back the same question," the affidavit states. "James would continue to talk in circles asking me what I think it means or tell me I should quit my job. James appeared passionate about this topic talking about the entire continent being taken by genocide."
Ostler further told police that he believes "cops are … corrupt" and "proceeded to tell a story about cops protecting cops."
The affidavit notes that Ostler "has a long (criminal) history dating back to 2006 of resisting and assaulting officers."
"In addition to his clear disregard for law and order, he has a history of damaging property around the city, including throwing a brick through the Brigham Young House in addition to other criminal mischief cases," the affidavit continues. "James has shown for more than two decades that he refuses to follow the laws of our state and has shown he will fight and assault officers to avoid arrest."
In the Brigham Young House vandalism case, Ostler took a plea deal in 2024, pleading "no contest" to a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief. The plea was held in abeyance for a year and dismissed in 2025 after Ostler fulfilled the requirements of the agreement.
