UPDATE (2:12 p.m.)—Local organizations have a message for graffiti vandals: Prepare to be caught, fined and possibly thrown in jail. The Perry Hall Improvement Association and the Perry Hall White Marsh Business Association have joined forces to sponsor a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of local taggers. The reward will be administered by Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland, an organization that offers cash rewards for anonymous tips. Graffiti incidents are usually classified as misdemeanors, but if information leads to the arrest and indictment for a felony …
Fines for convicted graffiti vandals would double under a measure sponsored by two Baltimore County Council members. David Marks, a District 5 Republican, and Cathy Bevins, a District 6 Democrat, plan to introduce a bill Monday that would raise the maximum fine from $500 to $1,000. This bill is in direct response to Perry Hall's growing graffiti problem, which has exploded across the area since summer 2010. Marks has been a longtime vocal critic of graffiti in Perry Hall, where he formerly served as president of the improvement association. In a past statement to Patch, he called the issue "…
Graffiti is a growing problem in Perry Hall. Regarding this issue, Patch received the following statements from community leaders. District 5 County Councilman David Marks: There has been a rash of graffiti throughout Perry Hall over the past month, primarily at our shopping centers. It is definitely a blight on the community, and personally infuriating to me. Our office has been in touch with Captain Balog at the White Marsh precinct regarding the situation, and I'm glad that the police precinct's Crimes and Investigative Services Unit is exploring many leads to apprehend those responsible. …
In Baltimore City, the Department of Public Works has many responsibilities. One, listed on its website, is "Removes graffiti." Whether graffiti has occurred on public or private property, city residents are encouraged to call 311 (the non-emergency service number), not only to report incidents, but to arrange for them to be cleaned up. A fee sometimes applies. In Baltimore County, it's a different story. "Is there a graffiti hotline? No," said Ellen Kobler, a county spokeswoman. After reporting graffiti to police, cleanup becomes a question of who owns the vandalized surface—private citizens…
On the night of Friday, Jan. 7, manager Karen Evans closed up A Total Difference salon. Evans said she wasn't expecting to see cars and teenagers across the street, outside of the Carrollton Bank on Schroeder Avenue. The following morning, spray painted graffiti covered the back and side of the salon. A nearby fence and sign were also covered. The salon, a Belair Road fixture for the past 15 years, has been tagged in at least three separate incidents, Evans said. The building owner now plans to install surveillance cameras. "I was upset because I knew that the owner had just painted the …
Playstation Stolen Sept. 20: An unknown suspect entered a home on Silver Hall Road off of Silver Spring Road and stole a Playstation, three game controllers, between six and 10 games and a Bluetooth headset, valued $460. Nothing was destroyed. Door Destoyed, TV Stolen Sept. 21: A unknown suspect entered a home on Klosterman Avenue off of Belair Road and stole a 34-inch flat screen television, a laptop, two comforters and 35 DVDs—a total value of $1,195. The suspect also destroyed the door frame of the rear basement door from which he or she entered. Office Building Tagged Sept. 25: An unknown…
Vandals covered a retaining wall outside of St. Joseph Parish with graffiti late last night, said church administrators and police. "Nothing like this has ever happened to us," said assistant facilities manager and church member, Bill Kuchmas, who reported the incident to police at noon on Tuesday. The wall, which lines Belair Road between the church's two main entrances, is about 30 feet long and 7 feet tall. It is now almost entirely covered in white, pink, blue, green and black spray paint. Nothing on the wall indicates that the graffiti was a direct attack on the church, Kuchmas said. …
