ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 4, 1996 TAG: 9605060056
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
Two young men admitted Friday that they contributed to a graffiti problem in downtown Roanoke by spray-painting designs on the sides of buildings.
William R. Firebaugh, 18, and Michael M. Zimmerman, 19, were each convicted of 10 counts of defacing property during separate hearings in Roanoke Circuit Court. Firebaugh pleaded no contest; Zimmerman entered guilty pleas.
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald Teaster said the men could have faced many more charges, considering that each admitted painting distinctive designs, or "tags," that appear so often throughout the City Market area that an exact count would be almost impossible.
"It was an economic decision" to limit the number of charges to 10, Teaster said. "We didn't want to bring witness after witness in for trial after trial."
A third man also has been convicted in what has become Roanoke's most extensive graffiti prosecution in recent years. Downtown merchants have complained about designs that appear overnight on walls, telephone booths, street signs, railroad cars, roofs and almost any other flat surface within spray-painting reach.
In many cases, the "tags" are a way for vandals to leave their personal mark in an area that has become a hangout for young people. Zimmerman's "tag" was a face with what appears to be a lighted cigar; Firebaugh's was interlocking letters that spell "Acid."
Teaster said he is working on setting up an account with the city that would collect restitution paid by the three defendants and use it to fund a cleanup effort. All three defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in June and July.
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