Prolific Tagging Suspect Arrested In Riverbank

RIVERBANK (CBS13) -- Investigators in Riverbank say one man is responsible for leaving his mark hundreds of times.

"It's ugly. It's sort of like dogs marking their territory," one Riverbank resident said.

Tag after tag in all different shades, sizes, and shapes.

Stanislaus County investigators say the man behind these 200-plus markings is 22-year-old Cooper "Tank" Vegas. In just two months detectives say he tagged signs, fences and underpasses.

"He was very, very active for the short amount of time," Det. Jon Gingerich said. "I believe they want some type of recognition for uh their artistic ability," xxx said.

Gingerich says its the largest tagging case in Riverbank's history. So after several weeks of searching, they spotted their tagger on surveillance photos at a Target. Investigators say Vegas signed his nickname there too, giving them all the evidence they needed to arrest him for defacing public and private property.

That's good news to Robert Jones, who lives next door to some of the graffiti.

"I feel like I've been invaded," Jones said.

He says the marks left behind may seem harmless to some, but for those who own property in the community, it's more than just an eyesore.

"It brings down the value big time," he said.

The city's responsible to clean up the tags, and it's going to cost upwards of $11,000.

Vegas faces charges of felony vandalism.