Three Teens Arrested Following Purchase of Spray Paint

Three teens were arrested for vandalism following a tip from a store employee alerting police of their recent purchase of spray paint.

A memory like an elephant…

Graffiti was discovered at the Park Discovery in Cedar City Utah last week and the tool of choice used to create over $5,000 in damage was spray paint. After hearing about the graffiti, a cashier from a local Wal-Mart alerted authorities to potential suspects. Of all the customers the cashier had encountered, they specifically remembered a transaction that took place between them and a few teenage boys. The reason they remembered the incident is because the boys were buying spray paint.

School project, really

Spray paint has many practical and lawful uses yet when a teenager is in possession of it, eyebrows are immediately raised. Unfortunately for teens who have no intentions of breaking the law, there are other youth who use spray paint for illegal reasons such as huffing fumes or vandalism like the graffiti that happened at Park Discovery. The few who make wrong decisions often cause all teens to be subconsciously or consciously profiled by authorities and cashiers.

Red flag items

There are several items along with spray paint that may become suspicious when certain individuals purchase them. Items that have the potential to be used for vandalism or for cooking up drugs may be acceptable if bought by ordinary shoppers. Those same “red flag” purchases become suspicious when purchased either in excess, by someone fitting a druggie profile, or by a juvenile. Oftentimes those profiled end up being innocent. This is frequently the case for teenagers.

Legal counsel for buying spray paint

Frequently, when kids are wrongfully accused of their intentions with a purchase, all they suffer is a bit of humiliation and trust issues with authority. Sometimes however, they may be facing criminal charges for a crime they didn’t commit; their only crime may be simply buying something while fitting a certain profile. In any case, it is wise to contact a juvenile defense attorney for legal counsel.