Tag — You're It

According to a sheriff's press release, deputies arrested a prolific graffiti tagger at his Vista home on December 28. The 16-year-old suspect was booked into the San Diego Juvenile Detention Facility on 232 counts of felony vandalism.

Most of the damage was done to Vista's South Santa Fe corridor but was not exclusive to that area. For about a year, the tagger painted graffiti on homes, businesses, sidewalks, and "anything else he could find," said deputy Elvis Cabrera.

If convicted, his parents will have to pay for the damage, which city officials estimate to be over $100,000. An investigation is still under way to determine if an additional 85 acts were committed by the same young man.

"Tagging is not an art," Cabrera said. "It's a crime."