A 21-year-old Luling man was arrested last Friday (Jan. 27) on accusations he has been involved in the painting of graffiti on several St. Charles Parish locations.
Justin Mitchell, 21, of Milling Avenue has been charged with 24 counts of criminal damage to property in the Luling and Boutte areas, according to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Thirteen of these charges are felonies.
There has been escalating problem with graffiti on the West Bank of St. Charles Parish that drew the attention of police. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the majority of documented graffiti has been close to Paul Maillard Road. The phrases “ghost,” “couch,” and “lmao” have been photographed and the Sheriff’s Office noted they were reviewed to determine any connection.
St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne said investigators believe Mitchell is responsible for the of graffiti in all of the examined locations.
“This is a felony, so he’s going to have problems,” Champagne said. “This kind of thing makes a community look trashy, the whole atmosphere it creates makes it feel less wholesome. It’s juvenile and unnecessary and we’re not going to tolerate it.”
Champagne said an investigation is still ongoing to determine whether others were complicit in his crimes by sending messages to Mitchell, requesting that he vandalize specific areas. The Sheriff offered a warning via a Facebook post made Jan. 25: “Those of you who have aided and abetted this activity by sending messages to the perpetrator requesting other acts of vandalism — we are obtaining your identities as we speak … it might be a good idea for you to contact us as well.”
He added that coordination could have happened via a phone app specifically designed to request such actions, though he declined to go into further detail.
“We believe that has something to do with it,” Champagne said. “We’re still working on that end of it and confirming whether others were involved.”
Mitchell was being held at Nelson Coleman Correctional Facility on a $22,500 bond as Tuesday. His arraignment is scheduled Feb. 22.
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