Edhat Staff
Source: Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office
At approximately 1:24 p.m. on September 9th, 2017, a citizen was doing community service graffiti abatement when he observed a male subject in the drainage culvert at Cathedral Oaks and Glenn Annie Road spraying a graffiti mural on the wall of a tunnel. The citizen called 911 to report the circumstances. Sheriff’s deputies responded and located three males vandalizing the tunnel walls with large graffiti murals. Two of the suspects attempted to flee when they saw deputies but all three were detained. They were found to be in possession of more than 60 cans of spray paint, five cans of paint with rollers to create backdrops for their graffiti murals and a camera connected to a tripod to photograph their graffiti murals.
31-year-old Joseph Rocco Peransi of Santa Barbara, 33-year-old Jansen Michael Lee and 32-year-old Gregory Winfield Smith from Lompoc were arrested for conspiracy, vandalism of $400 or more, possession with the intent to commit vandalism or graffiti, dumping waste matter in a creek. Lee also was booked on an outstanding felony warrant for felony graffiti and vandalism.
Peransi is being held on $45,000 (bail enhancement for commission of a felony after release on bail or OR). Lee is being held on $105,000 bail. Smith posted $20,000 bail and was released.
The Rotary Club of Goleta Noontime has an on-going program to catch taggers in the act. For more information go to www.goletanoontimerotary.org.
I usually go far out of my way to avoid agreeing with anyone on edhat because so many here seem to believe in the concept of “guilt by association”, it just wouldn’t be right to “help” someone else ‘s argument by tarnishing their image with my “irresponsible”opinions. However, I’m making an exception in this case because anyone who would equate the physical destruction of one piece of art, with painting a harmless mural on the inside of an ugly metal culvert, has clearly lost touch with reality.