Lake Elsinore Police Nab Two Vandalism Suspects

LAKE ELSINORE – Police took two men into custody, suspects in several documented acts of vandalism that have caused nearly $9,000 in damage.

Gilbert Rocha, 19, and Gabriel Orellana, 18, of Lake Elsinore, were arrested after police served a search warrant in the 14000 block of Cobblestone Lane at 9:30 a.m. The warrant, said Sgt. Marc Cloutier, was obtained as part of an ongoing investigation into destructive activities. He called it one of the city’s most active criminal graffiti groups.

At the residence, police found the suspects in possession of numerous items linking both men directly to several dozen acts of vandalism. Both were arrested for committing felony vandalism, said Cloutier. They are also facing additional charges for participating in a criminal street gang and for being in possession of vandalism tools.

Cloutier said the department’s Special Enforcement Team is continuing to pursue any persons involved in vandalism, adding that several key pieces of evidence at the Cobblestone location furthered their current investigation. He noted that there are ways parents can notice if their children are participating in graffiti, including paint stains on their child’s fingers, angular colorful block writings on their children’s walls, notebooks or posters, generally accompanied by nicknames.

There is little evidence of graffiti in the Cobblestone neighborhood where the two suspects were arrested.

Other indicators, said Cloutier, include unexplained permanent markers, assorted spray can tip nozzles that are removed from specific cans of paints, or carbide metal tipped items commonly used to scratch glass and metal surfaces.

Both Rocha and Orellana were booked into the men’s jail in Temecula. Cloutier said Lake Elsinore police is aggressively seeking to identify, arrest and prosecute vandalism suspects, which includes recovering any costs incurred for the removal of graffiti.

Read More:

Lake Elsinor-Wildomar Patch: Suspected Gang Members Arrested In Lake Elsinor For Graffiti Vandalism