Gang-banger Graffiti Vandal Busted
Santa Barbara – Aaron Sepulveda Nevarez, 19, has a reputation that apparently precedes him. Described by Santa Barbara Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Riley Harwood in recent statements to the media as “a Santa Barbara area gang member,” Nevarez had been under investigation by SBPD Gang Suppression Team officers pursuant to repeated incidents of graffiti spray-paintings appearing throughout the city.
Aaron Nevarez
In September 2012, graffiti was noted as referencing rival gangs by SBPD Youth Services Section Detective Gary Siegel, an expert in such matters with more than a dozen years’ experience in gang and vandalism investigations. During the past several months, according to Harwood, some of the recent spray-painting incidents “were done in rival gang territory to challenge and intimidate others.” Those pieces of artwork were routinely identified by Siegel as the work of Nevarez. In January 2013 a search warrant was served on Nevarez’s residence and detectives found evidence of their suspect’s participation in defacing public property in furtherance of a street gang.
An altercation between rival gang members on February 4th saw Nevarez detained for questioning at the downtown location. When Detective Siegel heard that Nevarez was being held for questioning by patrol officers, he reported to the scene and promptly arrested the young artist for six individual counts of vandalism, three of which are being charged as felonies.
Nevarez, who admitted to plastering his creative efforts across Santa Barbara, was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail where he is currently held on $110,000 bail.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
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