Sheriff’s Deputies catch suspects at the scene

By Jim Newell
Review Editor
For the second time in as many weeks vandals have left their mark on the Paint Creek Trail, but this time the suspects were caught red-handed, holding cans of spray paint as Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputies confronted the youths on the trail.
A witness called police after seeing five teens enter the trail near E. Clarkston and Kern roads at 3:42 p.m. Feb. 22. carrying cans of spray paint and walking toward the creek.
Deputies arrived at the trail and found the suspects and observed evidence that large rocks and trees in the area had been freshly spray painted, according to OCSO incident reports.
Deputies escorted the suspects from the trail and identified them as two 18-year-old women, two 17-year-old girls and a 17-year-old boy, all from Clarkston.
The teens admitted that they had just committed the vandalism. They were all issued misdemeanor appearance citations for Malicious Destruction of Property/Vandalism.
The teens must now appear in the 52nd 3rd Division Court in Rochester Hills within 15 days for arraignment on the charges, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) said.
Sheriff’s deputies said the suspects were cooperative and admitted to spray painting several rocks and trees.
The teens told sheriff’s deputies that others had already spray painted the trail and they thought this was allowed from information passed on through social media.
“The suspects were released at the scene with a court date and a better understanding of the laws and trail rules,” according to comments in the OCSO police report.
Less than two weeks ago, four other young adults, ages 17-21, had spray-painted the trail, trees and signs
Orion Twp. Supervisor Chris Barnett posted the photo of the suspects on his township supervisor Facebook page on Feb. 14, and the photo immediately went viral, with more than 760,000 impressions (people reached) in only a few days.
Barnett also contacted local media and the township offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the identities and arrest of the suspects.
Orion Twp. Department of Public Works employees spent about nine hours after discovering the vandalism power washing a wooden walkway and cleaning up on the trail at a cost of $1,200, Barnett said.
Three of the four suspects – three females and one male, ages 17-21 – went to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Substation in Orion Twp. after learning that their images had been posted on social media, said Lt. Dan Toth, commander of the OCSO substation in Orion Twp.
“We have conducted interviews with three of the four individuals and they have revealed their participation in (the vandalism). They did admit to some of the damage,” Toth said. “The next step is that we’ll review the evidence, sit down with prosecutor’s and we expect a charge (against the suspects).”
One of the four involved in the vandalism is an Orion resident, while the other three are from surrounding areas, Toth said, adding he could not release the identities of the individuals until they are charged.
“We’re glad the people came forward. We don’t want to wreck anyone’s lives, but we want them to be held accountable and an example to be made that this kind of thing is not acceptable,” Barnett said. “The message is out there: people are watching. We do have trail cameras.”
The trail cam image of the suspects carrying cans of spray paint with graffiti on a sign in the background was dated Jan. 4. Toth said that because of the time of year, the trail conditions and weather, no one reported the vandalism until recently.
Sheriff’s deputies then went back through the trail cam images. “Those photographs were instrumental in these folks coming forward. They were very humbled by the experience,” Toth said.
“We will continue to have extra patrols in the area and are asking residents if they see any suspicious activity or persons to call our dispatch center,” Toth said. “Everyone can play a part in this by alerting police and getting us to the scene.”
The dispatch number for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office is 248-858-4911.