ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, September 21, 1996 TAG: 9609230044
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
High on LSD at the time, Michael Zimmerman says, he never realized how much damage he could do with a can of spray paint.
Roaming the streets and alleys of Roanoke's City Market late at night, Zimmerman and two friends painted graffiti on dozens of walls and buildings. They came up with their own personalized designs, and called it "tagging."
Zimmerman, 19, didn't realize the seriousness of his actions until police charged him with 17 counts of defacing property, handing him a stack of arrest warrants nearly an inch thick.
After apologizing for his crimes, Zimmerman was sentenced to 30 days in jail - the same punishment given his two co-defendants this summer.
His sentencing in Roanoke Circuit Court ended the city's largest graffiti prosecution in recent years. Authorities have said they could have charged Zimmerman, Jason Atkins and Robert Firebaugh with many more offenses, but decided it would be meaningless to bring as many charges as there are incriminating tags scattered throughout the market area.
Over several months earlier this year, the designs appeared overnight on buildings, telephone booths, sidewalks, street signs, railroad cars, roofs and almost any other flat surface within spray-painting range.
Much of the vandalism is attributed to young people who see tagging as a form of self expression and a way to gain recognition among their peers. Zimmerman's tag was a drawing of a face with what appears to be lighted cigar.
Although some might argue that the tags have artistic value, merchants see them as a costly blemish on one of the city's showplaces.
As part of their sentences, all three men have been ordered to pay $2,500 each to a fund set up by Downtown Roanoke Inc., which will use the money to paint over their handiwork. Although Atkins and Firebaugh were sentenced weeks ago, no money has been deposited into the account so far, according to Matt Kennell, director of the downtown association.
In an earlier agreement, authorities dropped some of the charges against Zimmerman in return for his guilty pleas to 10 of the misdemeanor offenses. Judge Robert Doherty sentenced him to seven years, with all but 30 days suspended, ordered him to perform 400 hours of community service and placed him on probation for four years.
Zimmerman testified that since he was arrested, he has found a job, stopped using drugs and moved away from the Southeast Roanoke neighborhood where he hung out with friends who introduced him to tagging.
"I realize that I've done wrong," he said. "It'll never happen again."
LENGTH: Medium: 51 linesby CNB