A rash of vandalism to stop signs in Port St. Lucie has landed a juvenile male under arrest and facing criminal mischief charges. A second person – an adult male – might also soon be arrested, pending the ongoing investigation, according to police.
“The case is still unfolding,” said Port St. Lucie Police Sr. Sgt. Lisa Carrasquillo. “Detectives are working relentlessly on follow-ups.”
Late last week, the police department issued a public notice about vandalized stop signs, noting that the signs had been tagged in blue with “20$”.
Carrasquillo said the juvenile described the tag as that of the Rollings 20s – a subgroup of the Crips gang. She noted that police have not received any additional service calls relating to gang activity.
Ten stop signs and a police cruiser were all hit with the “20$” tag, causing approximately $750 in damage.
Police have not publicly named the juvenile due to his age and the non-violent nature of the alleged crime. Carrasquillo said, if guilty, the court would most likely require the juvenile to repay the city the cost of damages.
Sarah Prohaska, a spokesperson for the City of Port St. Lucie, said the Public Works Department was tasked with replacing all the damaged stop signs. She said it took a two-man crew 15 minutes per sign to replace, generating a cost of $57.59 per sign.
This one case of vandalism has already topped previous years, according to Prohaska. Last year, no signs were vandalized. Three signs were damaged in each year of 2017 and 2016. In 2015, seven signs were damaged.
“We have had graffiti on city property in the past,” Carrasquillo said, noting it has not been a constant issue.
The police department encourages the public to call police if they find graffiti.
