Ann Arbor SAES graffiti suspect released from youth home, faces 4 new charges
There are numerous instances of the tag SAES throughout Ann Arbor.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
The 15-year-old Ann Arbor boy already charged with 16 counts of property destruction for allegedly spray painting his moniker SAES throughout the city is facing new charges, court records indicate.
Four new complaints -- three in Ann Arbor and one on the University of Michigan campus -- were submitted to the prosecutor's office as of May 28 when the boy appeared in juvenile court, records indicate.
At that hearing, the boy also was released from the Washtenaw County Youth Home and a pretrial hearing, originally set for Wednesday, was rescheduled for June 12, according to records.
In juvenile court, a petition listing the counts is filed once it is authorized by the prosecutor's office. As of Wednesday, the petition detailing the charges was not yet part of the boy's court record.
Ann Arbor police detectives could not immediately be reached for comment about the new charges.
The boy's court record also shows he was released last week into the custody of his grandmother, per a few conditions. The former Community High School student had to enroll and participate in W-A-Y Washtneaw, an online, alternative school. He also is under house arrest and on night surveillance.
The juvenile court referee Julia Owdziej signed the boy's release.
The new charges likely will be similar in nature to the 16 destruction of property counts the boy already faces.
Nine of those current counts are felonies punishable by five years of imprisonment, and/or $10,000 or three times the amount of destruction or injury, whichever is greater. The remaining counts are misdemeanors, four punishable by one year in jail and/or $2,000 or three times the amount of damage and three punishable by 93 days in jail and/or $500 or three times the amount of damage, whichever is greater.
The boy was taken into custody three days after breaking a court ordered tether ruling in April.
A 16-year-old Ann Arbor Pioneer High School student who pleaded guilty in 11 counts of property destruction for spray painting "Mole" tags throughout the city is still scheduled for a disposition hearing -- the equivalent of a sentencing -- on June 18, when just how much restitution the boys will have to pay together should be determined
Police say the two boys were friends and are responsible for numerous graffiti on dozens of buildings, overpasses, light poles and other locations around Ann Arbor.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
ThisAintKyle
Tue, Jul 9, 2013 : 5:09 a.m.
Too bad he wasn't a little more creative with his graffiti - would be nice to have a Banksy in this town to spice things up.
Dug Song
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 3:18 p.m.
I was also a graffiti writer - legals from my time in Ann Arbor (the old Halfway Inn, where we hosted GAZE from the legendary DF crew, and local/Parisien king SEND/DIEGO from KTF, who also ruled the Wall of Fame): http://monkey.org/~dugsong/graf/ Graffiti, skateboarding, hacking - I think I did OK: https://speakerdeck.com/dugsong/a-hackers-life They're just kids, people. Don't hate. SAES and MOLE - hit me up on FB http://facebook.com/dugsong and hippie hash at the Fleetwood's on me. Bring your blackbooks.
croused
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 2:23 p.m.
Hey Dug, come out and help clean up. I think you'd sing a different tune after scrubbing off a few SAES tags in the midday sun.
roiwhite
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 2:32 p.m.
Maybe the mayor can set up a stipend program for the grafitti artists... Kill 2 birds with one stone...
nickcarraweigh
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 1:58 p.m.
Imagine how this recalcitrant drop-out's life might have fared, had only Community High enjoyed a football team where he could have targeted his passion and anti-establishment rage against fellow teenagers rather than inanimate objects. His only way out now is to join the Marine Corps and hope for redemption through calling in artillery strikes against heathens. Thank goodness we have so many war zones available.
Rick Stevens
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 1:40 p.m.
'The former Community High School student had to enroll and participate in W-A-Y Washtneaw, an online, alternative school. ' Washtneaw? Does anyone proofread even short articles any more?
TryingToBeObjective
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 6:29 p.m.
Depends on your skooling
vida
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 1:33 p.m.
Maybe by being in the custody of his Grandmother, his life will be more structured. He really needs some guidance. What goes through a boys head to keep writing 4 letters all over the place -- notice me, please, pay attention. It seems he isn't an artist but has the need for attention and the need to feel special. How sad, really.
say it plain
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 1:12 p.m.
Hear, hear, @LaMusica! Jee whiz though, @Barb..."a kid screwing up" is unfortunate and *would* be a private concern, if the mode of screw-up weren't destructive to other people. Would you concede that some kids "screw up" with acts of thievery or assault? Screwing up in anti-social ways--even if it's 'merely' property damage--concerns the citizenry, naturally, even if the offending 'screw-up' is just a crazy artsy adolescent. Write some poetry, please, 'screw up' kids of the world who want to express their disdain for society. Or get political, but 'taking a pee' with indelible ink causing economic loss and most disturbingly, inflicting upon people the unpleasant feeling of being *victimized*, just isn't cool and deserves to be punished. And c'mon Xzenoph, really. The graffiti that one can see in Paris for instance is art, these 'tags' are just like chest-beating with an aesthetic aspect to it. The artistic 'statement' to it is nil, except whatever 'I will mess with *you*, and *you*, and *you*' message the 'artist' has in his mind as he does the tagging. Anti-social acts of all kinds probably have such an underlying motivation, and there is nothing in terms of a 'message' available in the scrawl of letters or the specific placement thereof, except perhaps to the others in the community of 'taggers' . Sorry, it's *not* okay to use the city as a memo pad or canvas for a 'tag slam'. Maybe there should be some virtual reality world for such folks to play in?!
Judi Jones
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 11:21 a.m.
Amazing so many people are up in arms over this, when we're facing so many bigger problems--like toting guns at public pools, poverty, defunding education and such. Have the boy clean it up, and get him some counseling. End of story.
Usual Suspect
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 7:30 p.m.
If "toting" a gun anything like "carrying" one, or is is different?
kris
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 1:57 p.m.
People are more than capable of simultaneously caring about de-funding public education AND vandalism. Similarly, AAPD is trained to investigate both violent and non-violent crimes. This either/or argument some commentors are trying to make is a very weak one.
Greg
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 10:57 a.m.
For those who think this is "Art". Please publish your home or business address and we will see if we can get some "art" just for you. Likely when it starts showing up on your property it is no longer funny or art. Messing up other peoples businesses and property is a crime for a reason.
Robert E.
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 4:43 a.m.
This is out of control...A2.com you need to consider how over the top a portion of your commenters are...they use your website to grind their axes way beyond what is necessary or even interesting...its become soooooooo predictable..."cultural rot"? Hah!?! You got to be kidding me!?! How do people come up with this? Maybe I'm just naive and this is what A2.com is looking for...so long respectful discourse, don't let the door hit your something something on the way out!!! The kid deserves appropriate consequences as determined by the juvenile court...the vitriol expressed here is beyond insane...please channel that anger to help a child in need you may know and let our courts do their job...Good Lord...
Usual Suspect
Fri, Jun 7, 2013 : 12:14 p.m.
I don't see anybody here trying to take role of judge or prosecutor. However, we do have opinions, and there's nothing wrong with that (well, some people think there is, apparently). These kids - the two in this story, the one in last year's story, and more that haven't been caught yet - are defacing the town we live in, including public property that we as the people own, and in some cases, it's our public money that has to be spent to repair the damage caused by them. So, we absolutely do have a connection to this, and a financial interest as well. I am also connected with some of the property owners who have had been victimized by these kids. The vitriol you express at the comments here is beyond insane.
Robert E.
Fri, Jun 7, 2013 : 12:02 a.m.
Usual...who said anything about weak punishments...did you even read my initial post? Let the court do their job as we have appointed them to do...they decide what happens to this kid, not you or any of the rest of us...the vitriol on this website is out of control and way beyond any reasonable measure of decency...interesting how so much of the vitriol is directed towards children and how harshly the armchair "judges" feel they should be punished...of course the kid deserves serious consequences that will hopefully point him in the direction of being a law-abiding adult...however the level of rage within much of the commentary is unnecessary and is indicative of an immature perspective with no understanding of child development whatsoever...
Usual Suspect
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 7:27 p.m.
Likewise, I'm not interested those with ideas of weak punishments frame the debate either. An absence of structure and boundaries is what got this kid where he is today. Hopefully, the legal system will now bring these concept into his life and save it. Without them, he is headed downhill fast. You can call it vitriol, but I call it an insistence on applying the law. I understand that the liberal mindset includes the concept that the law should be ignored when it fits their own needs, and that the concept of allowing a person to do what he wants - even when he's 15 year old - is somehow enlightened, but I also know that's horse hockey.
Robert E.
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 3:24 p.m.
Oh...I dare indeed...I and others are not going to sit idly by and let those with extreme and over the top viewpoints define the debate...I can say the same to you Usual...you're entitled to your opinion as am I but just because you define something a certain way doesn't mean that's the way it is...there are a lot of other things in this country that would be more accurately defined as so called "cultural rot" including the "decay" of the quality and maturity of public discourse...
a2citizen
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 12:47 p.m.
"...beyond insane..." You got to be kidding me. How dare you!!!
Usual Suspect
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 11:40 a.m.
That fact that you don't see the problem doesn't mean it's nonexistent.
Usual Suspect
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 1:53 a.m.
The people who are belittling the severity of the damage caused by this kid's actions are the reason we have a plague of cultural rot in this country.
JRW
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 1:53 a.m.
Throw the book at him. Teach him a lesson and send a message to his friends that graffiti tagging is criminal vandalism that causes thousands of dollars in property damage. No excuses, no coddling, no slaps on the wrist. Start with having him remove all tags in the city. Then some jail time.
kris
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 1:27 a.m.
Gramma: your passionate defense of this kid, and lack of acknowledgement that he has caused a lot of grief and expense for dozens of city business owners makes me wonder if perhaps you are the grandmother who now has custody of him.
Nick Danger
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 1:18 a.m.
enough already, he didn't kill anyone .The kid that assaulted a Scarlett student is not incarcerated but we throw the book at a kid charged with property crimes
Brad
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 11:52 p.m.
"Brad, it almost sounds as if you'd be willing to put a price tag on a person's well-being." If you are saying that six figures is a lot for a common and unartistic vandal, then you are correct.
glewe
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 6:23 p.m.
Brad, it almost sounds as if you'd be willing to put a price tag on a person's well-being. No one is saying that this crime is insignificant. But is it really more significant than assault?
Brad
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 12:17 p.m.
Property crimes with the damages well into six figures I'm guessing. Feel free to get that checkbook out to bail out the little darling.
GoNavy
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 11:20 p.m.
@SAES - If you're reading this (and I'm certain you are), you've become a burden (and possibly worse) to society at an early age. Hopefully you'll receive the sort of punishment that will shape you up and set you back on the path towards productivity. Good luck.
clownfish
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:56 p.m.
I hope his new school has some good art classes, and will require basic knowledge of property rights in their standardized testing. It seems like he could use instruction in both.
TryingToBeObjective
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 3:50 a.m.
Community has several good art classes. He blew that chance. His current new school is online, and next stop is probably RC since they have so many openings.
kris
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:29 p.m.
Barb: after his first arrest, the kid continued to grafitti, after his second arrest he was tethered but that did not deter him either. He has defaced property to the tune of thousands of dollars. Business owners (I personally know one of them) are required to clean up the damage themselves when many are still struggling in a shaky economy. I am not "gleeful about this kid's downward spiral" but I'm glad he was caught. What, in your opinion, should be done with a kid who so willfully ignores second chances and continues to flout the law?
Jim Osborn
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 11:29 a.m.
. What, in your opinion, should be done with a kid who so willfully ignores second chances and continues to flout the law?" Juvi Hall Or he will keep damaging property.
Barb
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 9:11 p.m.
Ok, thanks Halflight - that makes sense.
halflight
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 9 p.m.
Barb-- Juveniles don't get "jail time". In this specific case, the juvenile was placed in detention because while in the care of his parents, he violated the juvenile court's orders. If the juvenile court can find ANY WAY to control a juvenile's behavior short of detention or institutionalization, the court wil use it. Detention or institutionalization is a last resort when the court can't otherwise control a juvenile's behavior, and/or the juvenile poses a threat to the public. If he's found responsible, he won't get "jail time". He will, however, have the juvenile court involved in his and his family's life until his behavior changes, or he reaches 18 years of age.
Barb
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:39 p.m.
Thanks Kris, but I saw all the articles too so I know the story as well. I'm glad he was caught and I hope he's punished in a way that has him learn to respect property and get him more interested in doing something better with his life. I think jail time is nuts for a non-violent crime like this but he obviously needs strict monitoring. I also think it's none of our damn business that he's with his grandmother or what school(s) he 's been kicked out of or is attending. And to publish such info because it's "of high public interest" may get people talking but that doesn't make it right or ethical of annarbor.com to do so. Anything else?
LaMusica
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:23 p.m.
Ugh I'm as sick of hearing about this kid as I am seeing his dumb tags around A2.
JoeNuke
Tue, Jun 11, 2013 : 8:52 p.m.
I am hopeful that coverage of this case raises awareness of the consequences of tagging and helps reduce problem.
a2citizen
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 12:44 p.m.
I suppose it's a big deal to the people who have to pay their hard earned money to repair the damage. What do you think?
Barb
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 2:45 a.m.
A2citizen, if a kid screws up and AnnArbor.com isn't there to write about it, is it still a big deal?
a2citizen
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 9:31 p.m.
If the kid would go away so would the publicity.
TheInfamousOne
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:17 p.m.
5 years imprisonment for spray painting. Didn't Benard Madoff get less time for stealing billions at the stock market? This kid is only 16 for crying out loud, I'm sure there are plenty of other punsihments that fit the crime. This country is screwed up
JRW
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 1:50 a.m.
Madoff is in prison for the rest of his life, not 5 years.
a2citizen
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 9:30 p.m.
Do you actually think this kid is going to jail for five years?
clownfish
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:54 p.m.
Bernie got 150 years. From the NYT- "U.S. District Judge Denny Chin cited the unprecedented nature of the multibillion-dollar fraud as he sentenced Madoff to the maximum of 150 years in prison, a term comparable only to those given in the past to terrorists, traitors and the most violent criminals. There is no parole in federal prison so Madoff will most likely die there." His brother, Peter, got a 10 year sentence.
halflight
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:52 p.m.
Umm, Bernard Madoff will get out of prison . . . if he lives to the age of 201. And that's with credit for "good time". And John Counts, this is the problem with publishing the adult sentencing guidelines when reporting juvenile offenses. This kid won't get five years in jail. In fact, it's highly unlikely he'll spend more time in an institution unless he continues to violate the law. Your readers obviously don't understand that, and you're confusing them by publishing the adult sentences. THEY DON"T APPLY TO JUVENILES.
Xzenoph
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:11 p.m.
People really miss the beauty of a tag. Yes, it is illegal, but that doesn't mean it is not art. Part of that artistic beauty that a tag has comes from the fact that it is illegal. Tagging - and graffiti in general - is an urbanized form of calligraphy. The structure of each letter lies at the stem of a tag, and is molded in to the sometimes complex, and sometimes very simple tags you see. Yes they may be difficult to read, but saying that there is no artistic value to a tag is incredibly inaccurate. Behind every piece of artwork is an artist's meaning and interpretation of it. With tagging and graffiti, in most cases it is to make a statement. Whether that statement is depicted for a rebellious cause, or just to bring life to the monotonous structures that line our cities, lies in the eyes of the artist. One form of graffiti is called "street art," and in many cases can possess deeply political views, or at the very least add some color to a bland surface. I'm not advocating people to come up with a tag and start writing, nor am I advocating destruction of property, but I'm trying to say that there is more to graffiti and tags than mindless vandalism, and if you can broaden your mind (and maybe do a little research on the history of graffiti/street art) you may look at it differently. On that note, I leave you with an anonymous quote I read scrawled on top of a parking structure: "Graffiti the world with skyscrapers, but don't arrest me for tagging a wall!"
JoeNuke
Tue, Jun 11, 2013 : 8:48 p.m.
I think a key point that needs to be acknowledged is that the tag ends up costing the property owner money and time to remove it. City ordinance compels the property owner to remove the tag at the owner's expense. In this way, tagging DOES reduce to pure vandalism. It was not sought by the victim, it must be removed by the victim, and there is no artistic meaning in repeating a tag throughout the town.
TryingToBeObjective
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 3:09 a.m.
Taggers miss the fact that very FEW find beauty in tagging, and most see it as a nuisance. Taggers miss the concept that they cannot deface other people's property and get away with it. It's NOT okay to tag. There are plenty of ways to express yourself artistically without infringing on other people and businesses. The way our economy is, many businesses struggle enough without the added costs of someone else having nothing better to do than tag. SAES was tagging, when he should have been doing his homework. If you think there's artistic value in histags, great,let him tag his parents house- and YOURS TOO!
5thWardVoter
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 9:04 p.m.
There is a distinct difference between artistic graffiti (check out Banksy or Keith Haring) and self-important tagging. I find nothing artistic about the tagging that is littering Ann Arbor.
donderop
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:57 p.m.
Perhaps you should offer your home as a tagger's canvas.
clownfish
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:51 p.m.
Most tagging is very poor art. A small % of it is actually good or even communicates a belief system. for example, what is SAES trying to tell us? I have no idea, except that maybe he wants attention. Artists do not, or at least should not, apply their "art" where it is not wanted. If I were to paint a really, really bad nude of a corpulent pope on your home after you had just painted it like a house, I wonder if you would be willing to debate the merits of your loss of money vs my artistic freedom. Same if I tagged your house with well done calligraphic racial slurs or profanity. If you don't own the wall, it is destruction of property. Same applies to train cars, bridges, alleys and windows.
Gramma
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 7:31 p.m.
I think it is ridiculous that these boys are being charged with felonies for what is a common adolescent misbehavior. It would be better to have them scrub away all their tags. the fact that a photo of the tags was in a yearbook shows other teens think it's cool. i see other tags around town. Are the police seriously spending a searious amount of time looking for these kids? There are numerous complaints of lack of a police presence in A2 on this site. How about redirecting cops to seek out serious criminals who are hurting other people.
Joe Hood
Fri, Jun 7, 2013 : 3:01 a.m.
Um, there is graffiti in Pompei, from the Roman times.
M-Wolverine
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 4:06 p.m.
Xzenoph all you have to do is google SAES to find numerous instances personal property being painted, from trains to buildings to other structure. Every piece of property not "public" is privately owned. So that's just false.
TryingToBeObjective
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 3:47 a.m.
@xzenoph, how do you know SAES has never tagged a house? Are you with him 24-7, or do you have superpowers?
TryingToBeObjective
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 3:03 a.m.
Get a grip Gramma. Not a one of my teens would EVER consider tagging. They know it destroys property. Community has a great art teacher. The SAES young man (he is a young man, not a five year old kid), threw away a great opportunity to express himself in one of the many art classes at Community, not on other people's property. If you think he's not hurting business owners who have to at their own expense, repair and replace the property SAES has damaged, as well as damaging our city- I am sick of seeing this garbage- I feel sorry for you. When you make excuses,you are not helping him, you are enabling him. If the tags were in Pioneers yearbook, that's a poor choice, but it's their choice. They arent in Community's yearbook. Community doesn't condone SAES actions. He had his chance there and he blew it big time!
Rod Johnson
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 10:50 p.m.
Xzenoph: Tagging, even in its modern form, predates hiphop by more than a decade. "Clapton is God" and "Taki 183" were around in the late sixties. I appreciate your attempt to supply some context, though.
clownfish
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:40 p.m.
He did thousands of dollars of damage to multiple buildings. He should be charged with the equivalent of a felony.
halflight
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:26 p.m.
Seriously? You're a grandmother, and you offer the "Other kids do it!" defense? I think it's ridiculous that the adults in this child's life let things get so out of hand that he absconded while on a juvenile detention tether. I think it's ridiculous that I as a taxpayer had to pay the cost to keep this child in detention because his parents were irresponsible or inept. I think it's ridiculous that people give him cover by minimizing his misbehavior and complaining about the allocation of police resources, when his misbehavior made that allocation necessary. If you're interested in this child's welfare, stop making excuses for him.
Xzenoph
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:25 p.m.
Gramma, I completely agree with everything you say, except I feel like when you said "other teens think it's cool", you meant that it is going to become a trend among teenagers. Many students I know do think that graffiti is interesting, the large majority do not wish to participate in it and do not approve of the illegality of graffiti. @mady I personally know SAES, and he has never tagged a house. In the community of graffiti, there are certain unspoken guidelines, and one of those is not to graffiti personal property such as cars, houses, mailboxes, etc. @dms These new charges were brought up after he was prosecuted, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the tags were created after the prosecution. For one thing, the young man was in juvenile detention and on house arrest for a month. Secondly, all a person has to do to report property damage is take a picture of the graffiti, and give an estimate of the time it was done and how much repairs will cost. Tags from years ago could be reported. Also, graffiti is a very common adolescent behavior that originated during the hip hop movement around the 1970s, which was led by urban youth.
Barb
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:11 p.m.
Who's suggesting he shouldn't be charged?
dms
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:07 p.m.
If he is still tagging after getting caught and punished once, he deserves to be charged!! This is not "common" adolescent misbehavior. This is a child who has either not been given lessons on how to be a good citizen or has made a choice to do something he knows is wrong. All of us need to learn that there are consequences to our choices. At 16, he is old enough to know that what he is doing is illegal and to know that there can be consequnces to making the choice that he made. As a school administrator, I deal with this every day. I agree with the prosecution and also think he should have to clean up his mess.
Barb
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8 p.m.
I'm not sure why you'd suggest that - no one's saying the tagging is a good thing.
mady
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 7:45 p.m.
How about we let him tag YOUR house? hmmmmm?
Barb
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 7:37 p.m.
There's a task force dedicated to tagging. It's nuts.
Linda Peck
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 7:04 p.m.
I am sorry to see this boy's life in so much trouble.
ThinkingOne
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 2:53 p.m.
Barb 'Also, your not using his name is a joke - you provide so much info about him that there's no way anyone doesn't know who this is anymore.' He was a student at Community High School. He is now registered in an on-line school. He was released to his grandmother. He is 15. So we have a 15YO male not currently enrolled at Community and he has at least 1 grandmother still living. I am sure with that amount of info everyone in the country knows him, not just everyone in Ann Arbor.
Frustrated in A2
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 4:47 a.m.
He made his bed. He knew what he was doing wasn't right. Maybe you wouldn't be saying that if you had to clean his moniker off of some of your property.
TryingToBeObjective
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 3:43 a.m.
Parents should know where their kids are at night, and not let them run all over AA and Ypsi defacing property and causing damage. Kids need limits to know they are loved.
Usual Suspect
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 11:37 p.m.
"the whole thing is just sad and to see so many comments gleeful about this kid and his downward spiral is nauseating." Almost as nauseating as his apologists.
Barb's Mom
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 11:17 p.m.
@ Barb- I have no idea who this young man is. Only a very small # of the people who live in A2 have a student who attends Community High School, they might know who this young man is but the rest of us don't.
sesomai
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:50 p.m.
SAES has no one to blame for this but himself. He had many chances to re-think his actions. He could have stopped at buying spray paint. He could have stopped at spray painting private property. He could have changed his mind even after he'd tagged one or two places. But he didn't stop, and that was his choice.
kris
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:38 p.m.
Great..you "feel" for the kid's family but what about the dozens of small business owners who have to pay for the clean up because this kid evidently can't control himself and continues to spray paint their stores despite multiple arrests and warnings.
Barb
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 7:55 p.m.
I respectfully disagree. Doing a search on your site is a little time consuming as Annarbor.com consistently uses a tag for "graffiti" and not for something like "assault" (which I find interesting) but if you compare the number of articles for this individual to articles done on assault suspects, there is nowhere near the same coverage. You guys post when this kid takes a pee and may I remind you, he's a *kid*. Also, your not using his name is a joke - you provide so much info about him that there's no way anyone doesn't know who this is anymore. I don't condone his actions but I feel for his family.
John Counts
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 7:41 p.m.
Barb: We cover all violent crimes extensively, from the original incident, throughout the court process if a suspect is identified, all the way to adjudication. We also cover a variety of different crimes, including property crime. This case is of high public interest. A lot of people have seen the SAES and Mole tags throughout the area and are wondering what is becoming of the defendants.
Barb
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 7:28 p.m.
I agree - the whole thing is just sad and to see so many comments gleeful about this kid and his downward spiral is nauseating. And annarbor.com is partially to blame. Murders and rapes don't get this much attention.
John Counts
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 6:49 p.m.
David Cahill, you are correct, juvenile cases are civil in nature. However, it is a little more complicated than that. The way we have listed the charges in the story is the exact way they are listed in the petition. While a juvenile isn't "charged" in the same way as an adult, a petition still lists the charges as misdemeanors and felonies so the juvenile court understands the relative severity the criminal justice system regards them in, according to Steve Hiller from the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office. Readers generally understand them better in this way, as well. However, it should be noted that the punishments listed aren't necessarily what a juvenile would get at disposition. Juvenile court has a lot of latitude when it comes to disposition, or sentencing, and Hiller said the child's best interest is always the guiding principle.
stevenhs
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 7:13 a.m.
An attorney needs to reply. Although I am not, I'm sure that you are wrong. Civil cases typically involve one party suing another, and do not include jail time. Certainly juvenile cases are handled differently, but these are still criminal cases, not civil.
David Cahill
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 5:57 p.m.
AnnArbor.com, you have committed a common mistake. The juvenile charges would be felonies/misdemeanors of the juvenile were an adult. But since these are juvenile charges, they are civil, not criminal.
pegret
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 5:41 p.m.
I see his friends are busy voting down anti-tagging comments. Will you be so willing to help him with clean up?
TryingToBeObjective
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 11:58 p.m.
He doesn't need a friend. He needs a PARENT!
Gramma
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 7:38 p.m.
That's me. His 70 year old friend.
Barb
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 7:26 p.m.
What? you have some insight as to who's voting stuff down? Cool!
mady
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 6:31 p.m.
(sound of crickets chirping.........)
AnnieWood
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 5:26 p.m.
A group of juveniles are currently tagging the West Side. Please file a police report if your property is vandalized. The Police have leads and suspects. Take photos.
pegret
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 5:25 p.m.
Looks like it will be a long time before this young vandal will be able to afford some much-needed art lessons.
hattrix
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 5:23 p.m.
We see these tags all over the city. It is ridiculous that these kids have been charged with so few counts. Their tags are even shown on a page in the Pioneer HS yearbook showing photos from around Ann Arbor.
M-Wolverine
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 3:59 p.m.
Gramma, since you're getting so many "no" answers, I thought I'd give you a "yes." "Felonies for thousands and thousands of dollars worth of damage all over town on private property?" "Yes"
Usual Suspect
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 9:56 p.m.
Gramma, you've tried to use this argument in the past - it failed then and it fails now. "Did you never write your name or anything else where you shouldn't have? Bathrooms, No. "desks," No "park picnic tables," No 'etc" No.
5thWardVoter
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:46 p.m.
@Gramma - NO, neither my siblings nor I defaced or vandalized property in our youth. Maybe there was better parenting in the 50's, 60's and 70's.
BlueEyesGirl
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:18 p.m.
GRAMMA - actually, NO - I've never defaced public property. And if I had, I would have had to take responsibility for it. Just like he should.
halflight
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 8:09 p.m.
Gramma-- He's being charged as a juvenile. Whether the charge is a misdemeanor or felony is irrelevant-- if he's found responsible for either one misdemeanor or 10 felonies, the juvenile court will have the same power over his life: basically, to resolve the conditions (whatever they may be) that caused the offense(s). Adult sentencing guidelines don't apply to juveniles. In fact, a felony charge may make more services available to him to prevent a recurrence. Juvenile court records aren't criminal court records, and he won't be subject to the same legal restrictions as a convicted adult felon. And this isn't a case of a single youthful indiscretion. This 15 year old has allegedly committed a long string of property destruction crimes, and shown his contempt for the juvenile court to boot.
Gramma
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 7:35 p.m.
Seriously? Adults, think back to your teen years. Did you never write your name or anything else where you shouldn't have? Bathrooms, desks, park picnic tables, etc. A misdemeanor charge for the sum total of all the tags I would understand, but felonies?
Barb
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 7:25 p.m.
Oh, yeah, this kid's getting off so light. As if.
seldon
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 5:23 p.m.
I still say, make him clean up every tag.
Usual Suspect
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 1:50 a.m.
With his tongue.
JRW
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 1:48 a.m.
Absolutely! With a toothbrush.
Goober
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 12:34 a.m.
His parents should help, because I refuse to believe that they did not know he was not in bed versus running the city, tagging things during the cloak of night.
mady
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 6:30 p.m.
Totally agree!!
Dirty Mouth
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 4:41 p.m.
The former Community High School student. Thank goodness!
TryingToBeObjective
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 6:36 p.m.
See, it's someone's lucky day. The next kid on the extensive CHS waiting list. Rainbows among he clouds. ;)
Urban Sombrero
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 4:25 p.m.
So, wait....am I reading this right? He continued to graffiti AFTER already being arrested and taken to court? Sounds like he didn't learn a thing!
John Counts
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 5:49 p.m.
The charges will likely relate to previous tags.
say it plain
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 5:44 p.m.
I really thought I had *not* seen a tag along Fuller, I believe, on a UM related sign I seem to recall, near the hospital, until *after* I'd seen these reports that he'd been caught and sent away or put under house-arrest. Pretty brazen, I recall thinking.
Usual Suspect
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 4:49 p.m.
Perhaps the additional charges were brought as a result of his previous "work." On the other hand, a previous article did include this: "The 15-year-old SAES suspect will return to court on May 6. In the meantime, [Detective] Larson said she suspects the boy is continuing to vandalize buildings. 'I think he's tagging under a different moniker,' she added." I'm guessing this is why was given house arrest and a tether.
Billy
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 4:21 p.m.
Heh I still see SAES tags all over the place behind business and such. If these are unreported tags....can they be brought up to the city for additional charges still?
Rod Johnson
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 10:43 p.m.
Kyle: why is annarbor.com recommending anything at all? Your job is to report the news, not participate in it.
halflight
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 7:50 p.m.
Billy-- the problem will be proving that he did it. Anyone could copy his SAES tag. They must have eyewitnesses, confessions or video to prove the 16 existing counts. I'd be willing to bet, though, that the juvenile court will order him to clean up ALL the SAES tags, regardless of whether he did each one. Like Kyle says, property owners should report the tags so that the court can consider them as part of the dispositional orders (sentencing).
Kyle Mattson
Wed, Jun 5, 2013 : 6:44 p.m.
We'd recommend that property owners report any vandalism they experience. It can be done by phone as well as online here: http://bit.ly/11rZPyV