Two arrested in graffiti vandalism case

Teens reportedly tell police that they were the ones wielding the spray cans.

January 21, 2011

GLENDALE — Prosecutors have charged a 19-year-old La Crescenta man with spray-painting graffiti on the walls and playground areas of Valley View Elementary School.

Travis Morgan was charged with one felony count of vandalism for causing more than $400 in damage on the campus and a misdemeanor count of illegally possessing a hypodermic needle, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court criminal complaint.

School staff notified police about 6:45 a.m. Jan. 12 about the graffiti, which covered campus walls and playgrounds on the 4900 block of Maryland Avenue, according to Glendale police reports.

Glendale gang detectives and community police officers began looking into the markings to determine whether it contained links to other taggers, police said.

Police went to Morgan's home on Maryland Avenue on Friday to follow up on an interview and discovered him inside his bedroom trying to cover up graffiti spray-painted on his walls, Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

Police said the graffiti, which included swastikas, matched markings at the school.

Morgan told police that he spray-painted some of the graffiti, according to reports. He immediately was arrested.

Meanwhile, detectives continued to investigate the graffiti and linked another teen, whose name was not released because he's a minor, to the vandalism, Lorenz said.

The teen's bedroom walls also were covered with markings which matched graffiti found at the school, he added. He told police that he also vandalized the school, according to reports.

He was arrested Sunday and released to his parents, police said.

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