Tagger nabbed

A chance encounter with a backpack led a local deputy to the teenager responsible for over $2,651 worth of property damage since August 2008.
School resource officer Matt Regan was chatting with one of the administrators at Sonoma Valley High School when he spotted a backpack covered with art and writing. The administrator commented that a student had accidentally left it in one of the classrooms. The style of art looked strangely familiar. Regan had just been thumbing through a local graffiti photo album put together by the city public works department and made the connection.
The officer obtained a search warrant for the student’s residence, and on Jan. 12 he and other officers found similar graffiti on the premises. The 14-year-old admitted to having tagged numerous buildings around town with words like “Bonez,” “MDR,” “Memo” and “Cisco.” The student has no prior arrests and will be charged with felony vandalism.