Santa Barbara – Michelangelo (1475-1564) had his rent and grocery bills paid for by the Medicis when he was painting frescoes on the walls and ceilings of buildings, but appreciation for that variety of public art seems to be a thing of the past, even in a city known for its celebration of all things aesthetic.
On the contrary, Santa Barbara enforces ordinances specifically prohibiting contemporary public art as graffiti, and considers its practitioners as felons. One such creative soul, Angel DeJesus Lopez, 19, is suspected of defacing several private and public property sites as early as April 29th, when, according to Santa Barbara Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Riley Harwood, “a surveillance video of Lopez was distributed via an SBPD Catch a Vandal media release” which ultimately led to a citizen report of his identity by local law enforcement’s Youth Services Section.
Angel DeJesus Lopez caught in the act
Pursuant to his positive identification as the subject of the video record, it was further determined that Lopez is currently serving probation for vandalism and provided detectives with probable cause to conduct a probation search at his Santa Barbara residence. Inside the home, substantial evidence of ongoing graffiti vandalism at the hands of Lopez, including paint markers and other art tools “with his tagging monker on them”, Harwood reported.
During the search, Lopez confessed to officers that he had committed several acts of graffiti vandalism within the city limits and he was arrested at the scene. He was forthwith transported to Santa Barbara County Jail and booked for felony vandalism and misdemeanor possession of vandalism tools with his bail set at $20,000.
Santa Barbara’s fine arts community will presumably continue to patronize more acceptable—and certainly more legal—venues for those with Lopez’s creative compulsions.
Photos: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking, Santa Barbara Police Department
Read more:
AM1440: Prolific graffiti vandal arrested
EdHat: Prolific Graffiti Vandal Arrested
