At about 9:50am, on Monday, January 31st, 2011, officers from Area D-14 (Brighton) responded to a radio call for a person using graffiti to vandalize an electrical box in the area of 291 Market Street in Brighton. According to the caller, the suspect (described as a heavy set white male with long hair) was marking up the electrical box with a blue marker. A search of the area enabled officers to see and stop an individual who looked like the suspect. Officers promptly noted that the individual had blue ink on his right hand. The ink on the suspect’s hand matched the color of the graffiti which was found on the electrical box. While officers were questioning the suspect about the incident, a witness was brought to the scene. Once on scene, the witness looked at the suspect and stated, “That’s him.”
Officers arrested Brian Flaherty, 29, of Boston and charged him with Damage to Property by Graffiti. A search of the suspect enabled officers to recover a blue permanent marker.