A spate of graffiti incidents took place in Healdsburg early in the morning of March 1, but before it was over two men were arrested with incriminating evidence that police believe associated them with three such vandalism incidents that same morning.
Shortly after midnight police on patrol reported graffiti at Sunnyvale Drive; 40 minutes later, at 1:02am, another graffiti sighting was made at the railroad tracks at Grant Street, and again at 1:43am on Terrace Boulevard.
Thanks to a call from a resident on Terrace at approximately 2:30am, Healdsburg officers responded to the area of Terrace and Alley 6, where the witness reported two individuals actively vandalizing buildings with spray paint.
Graphic and numeric images associated with gangs were sprayed six feet high over the white wall, and a nearby stop sign was tagged as well. Down Alley 6, another building received similar graffiti, despite a prominent sign warning that the area was under video surveillance.
Following the 2:30am call, officers quickly located and identified two male suspects—one adult and one juvenile—found in the vicinity carrying spray-paint cans. Other evidence was located connecting the two suspects to possibly three other incidents that same night.
Both individuals were arrested and booked on multiple charges related to their involvement in the graffiti vandalism and suspected gang activity. A 23-year-old man from Willits, Lucas Elijah Iverson, was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on charges of vandalism, conspiracy to commit a crime, participation in a criminal street gang and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The minor, a 17-year-old male from Windsor whose name was not released because of his age, was booked into Juvenile Hall on charges of obstruction of an officer, vandalism, conspiracy to commit a crime, participation in a criminal street gang and obstruction of an officer.
The scene of the vandalism on Alley B showed impact by both of the most prevalent gangs in the area, Norteños and Sureños. “There are opposing gang tags in the same incident because one gang had tagged the building originally, and the rival gang came later and tagged over it,” said Police Chief Matt Jenkins. “It’s common for this to happen if the graffiti is not removed in a timely manner. The Healdsburg Municipal Code has a provision that declares graffiti a public nuisance and requires that property owners abate the graffiti within 5 days of being notified.”
The arrests preceded additional graffiti reports received later that same morning, at Front St. and the railroad tracks (5:21am) and at Harvest Grove on West Grant Street (9:48am). These were determined to be separate incidents, associated with a rival gang.
Annual Report
Two days later, on Monday, March 3, Chief Jenkins appeared before the City Council for his annual update, listing accomplishments, staffing and statistics. In his report he pointed out an uptick in the number of crimes against property as being largely due to the increase of vandalism, a category that includes graffiti.
“If you’ll recall, we’ve had several instances of serial vandals in the city, generally gang related,” Jenkins told the council. “In fact, we had several places tagged over the weekend. Each location of those is categorized as a separate offense.”
The council members smiled and nodded knowingly, as the apprehension of graffiti suspects had garnered much attention. When Ron Edwards thanked him for the quick work, the chief demurred. “I can’t take credit for that, I was home asleep,” he said. “It was a combination of great police work and the assistance of the community by calling in what they were seeing.”
Graffiti crimes and other vandalism associated with gangs—including fights and assault—have become more familiar to Healdsburg police. “Graffiti can be a difficult crime to make an arrest on,” Jenkins said. “It usually occurs at night, where the suspect has the advantage of darkness and less people to witness the actions.”
Chief Jenkins pointed out that the department has made other arrests over the last year and a half for gang-related graffiti, including incidents on Ward Street and along the Foss Creek Pathway.
