18-Year-Old East Wenatchee Man Jailed on Gun, Graffiti Charges

An 18-year-old East Wenatchee man was arrested after allegedly discharging a weapon and defacing school property.

The following information was gleaned from a press release issued by the East Wenatchee Police Department.

This particular saga dates back to May 14 when graffiti was discovered on the Lee Elementary School property in East Wenatchee. A number of portable classrooms - as well as a fence abutting the school - were strewn with what appeared to be gang-related graffiti.

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Compounding matters was the sound of gunfire. In looking at school surveillance footage, the attending officers were able to make out two suspects. The suspects were observed spraying graffiti and discharging a firearm. They then absconded to a residence in the 1300 block of Clements Cir.

The following Friday (May 17), police and SWAT officers conducted a search warrant on said residence. Neither suspect was present. But authorities collected lots of damning evidence - namely a fully automatic pistol and graffiti and gang paraphernalia.

One of the alleged taggers is now in custody. Buoyed by a helpful tip-off, the Columbia River Drug Taskforce was able to locate the suspect inside an apartment in the 1000 block of N. Devon Ave.

By all accounts the suspect was compliant, his arrest mercifully uneventful.

He faces a panoply of hair-raising charges: unlawful possession
of a firearm (first-degree); aiming or discharging firearms; dangerous weapons; malicious mischief (second-degree); possessing dangerous weapons on school
facilities; and unlawful firearms.

At press time we were awaiting comment from Detective Sergeant Ben Fauconnier.

It's not clear which gang the suspects belong to. They used blue spray paint. That would seem to indicate allegiance to the Crips street gang, but this is purely conjecture.