A 28-year-old St. Petersburg man has been accused of painting graffiti on four buildings, and may be responsible for five other cases, police said.
Detectives said they have been Julian Eugene Grimes ctively pursuing Jilan Grimes and other graffiti vandals responsible for damaging signs, buildings, mailboxes and walls downtown for several months.
On Tuesday, a security guard at the Frontier Building, 821 1st Ave. N., noticed a scooter parked beside the building and heard a noise from the east side of the building. She saw a man painting the building and confronted him.
The man dropped a plastic bottle containing paint and fled on the scooter. Detectives were able to obtain evidence from the bottle that connected Grimes to the crime.
The tag was connected to graffiti at other sites by unique features Grimes used, as well as video surveillance.
In addition to the Frontier Building, detectives charged Grimes with felony criminal mischief related to vandalism:
- Credence Capital 2805 Dr. Martin Luther King St,
- Durango Building 3901 4th St. N.
- Vision Works 3301 4th St. N.
Grimes was charged with felonies based upon a prior conviction for tagging (vandalism). Estimates for the cleanup and repainting are still pending.
Detectives believe that there are several additional buildings vandalized by him.
