Tehachapi News

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Teenage tagger ordered by court to reimburse city from the Kern County Probation Department that a 16-year-old Tehachapi resident and his parents have been ordered to pay the City $550 in restitution for graffiti removal costs.
On Jan. 29 and 31, the TPD responded to several incidents of graffiti on N. Davis St, N. Hayes St, E. I St, and the area of Lois and Brett. In each case the graffiti was similar and appeared to have been created by the same person(s). Crime reports were completed on each incident and the graffiti was then photographed and removed by the Code Enforcement Officer.
Using various investigative tools, including MySpace, TPD officers identified and arrested one adult and two juveniles for the crimes in early February. In the case of the two juveniles, TPD requested that restitution for the removal costs be included in any sentencing agreement.
TPD has been notified by the Kern County Probation Department that one of the minors, a 16-year-old Tehachapi resident, has been sentenced for Penal Code Section 186.22, Participation in a Criminal Street Gang. As part of his sentence, he and his parents have been ordered to pay $550 to the City of Tehachapi as restitution for the graffiti removal.
Parents should be aware that under California law they may be liable for the criminal acts of their minor children and may be required to pay court ordered restitution to crime victims.