Suspects Identified, Charges Pending For OC Vandalism

Suspects Identified, Charges Pending For OC Vandalism
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OCEAN CITY — Suspects have been identified and charges are pending against the vandals that struck a wide swath of the downtown Ocean City area early last Sunday morning.

Residents awoke on Sunday to a bold graffiti spree on buildings, vehicles and other structures roughly between 16th and 20th Streets right along Coastal Highway. No arrests have been announced as of late Thursday.
The spray paint spree included restaurant walls, shopping center windows, motel windows and walls and multiple vehicles. According to OCPD spokesperson Lindsay Richard, officers initially located several graffiti “taggings” in the areas from 16th Street to 20th Street and east of Philadelphia Ave. around 5 a.m. on Sunday.04-24 Color-Page 12B

By Monday afternoon, crews were seen power washing and painting at various sites hit by the vandals. Richard said a thorough search of the area between 16th and 20th streets revealed dozens of incidents of vandalism. On Thursday, the OCPD announced suspects had been identified and charges were pending. With assistance from area businesses, OCPD officers learned that suspects from outside the local area were responsible for the vandalism.

04-24 Color-Page 12C“We are continuing to investigate the series of graffiti taggings that were first discovered by officers in the early morning hours on April 19,” she said. “After a canvas of the area on April 19, officers located approximately 45 taggings affecting multiple businesses and citizens.”

Richard said OCPD detectives are hoping to find the scope of the damage and to that end are urging any citizens or business owners who believe they might have been a victim of the series of graffiti taggings to contact Detective David Whitmer at 410-520-5390 or email to [email protected].