The ink was not even dry when officers nabbed Kenneth Delvalle, 21, of Boston for tagging a bridge crossing the Massachusetts Turnpike.
On December 6, 2010 at approximately 1:30pm, an officer on patrol and monitoring the intersection of Tremont St and Herald St. observed a suspect stopped on the bridge crossing the Mass Pike.
It appeared the suspect was writing on the fence. The officer stopped the suspect and a witness to inquire about the suspect’s activity. The suspect stated, “I was just writing” and “People are covering my tag.” The officer asked the suspect to point it out and he did. The tag was still wet to the touch.
The officer photographed the tag and it is clear where the officer touched and smudged the letter “H” in “HATE”. The beginning of the tag says “DON’T HATE”. The officer asked the suspect for the marker and the witness then handed it to the officer.
At that time, Delvalle was placed under arrest for Damage to Property, Graffiti/Tagging. Officers also discovered a BB gun and large kitchen knife was also located in Delvalle’s backpack.