YOUR AD HERE »

Vandals fess up

Joel Stonington
Paul Conrad/The Aspen Times
ALL |

Two teenagers have confessed to spray-painting graffiti around Aspen earlier this month.

Two teenagers have confessed to spray-painting graffiti around Aspen earlier this month.According to Aspen police, one of the teens told his father about the vandalism. They called police over the weekend and offered a statement.Neither youth, each 16, has been charged with a crime, though the case has been handed over to the district attorney. Their names are not being released because they are juveniles.

“He didn’t give an explanation as to why he did it,” said Aspen Police officer Dan Davis. “It’s his town, he lives here. He felt guilty and wanted to do something about it.”The other youth, who also turned himself in to authorities, is not from this area, according to Davis.Police said the pair tagged areas including the Aspen Skate Park, Hunter Creek trailhead sign, Maroon Creek sign and the back of the scoreboard at the Aspen public schools’ athletic field. The acts took place between Aug. 5-9 are not believed to be gang-related.Damage estimates have not been compiled, though Davis said little permanent damage was done. The major toll was man-hours spent cleaning up the graffiti; some places are still covered in paint. Davis also mentioned that many Skate Park users were upset by the tagging that took place there.



The teens likely will face charges of criminal mischief. The fact they turned themselves in could help in getting the youths a deferred sentence. “They’ll probably get a lot of community service out of it,” Davis said, adding that the teens’ parents might be held responsible for monetary damages.Joel Stonington’s e-mail address is jstonington@aspentimes.com