PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland police arrested a suspected serial tagger after he was caught on surveillance video spray painting a local business, prosecutors said.
Marcus Gunther, of Portland, is facing a charge of criminal mischief, a felony. He’s also being held in jail on a probation violation.
Gunther is accused of damaging an Oregon Department of Transportation electronic reader board on Interstate 84 in late June. Portland police said Gunther caused roughly $25,000 damage to ODOT property.
Officers say Gunther also spray painted a U-Store Self Storage in North Portland in early September.
During a court hearing Friday, Multnomah County prosecutors told the judge that police had surveillance video showing Gunther spray painting a business on Sept. 6. Prosecutors say GPS also linked Gunther to the crime.
A search warrant of the Portland man’s residence revealed “graffiti equipment” and a “tag book” of sketches showing the letters “MOOK," said prosecutors. “MOOK” is Gunther’s tag spray painted on buildings and walls, police said.
Graffiti is a serious, ongoing citywide problem in Portland.
“We get hit by graffiti probably at least once a week,” explained James Camaioni of Star Rentals in Southeast Portland. “It is very frustrating. It costs us time and money.”
The average cost per incident for professional graffiti removal is about $225, according to the city’s graffiti abatement program. The cost burden often falls on neighbors and small businesses.
“It certainly seems to be increasing quite a bit,” explained Robert Barrie, owner of Portland Graffiti Removal. “It is literally everywhere.”
Portland Graffiti Removal is one of several companies contracted by the city of Portland to clean up graffiti.
On Friday, a worker from Portland Graffiti Removal was busy painting over multiple tags on a building in Southeast Portland. The company returns to the same location every month to remove vandalism.
“The faster customers and property owners can get it cleaned up, the less likely it is to continue in that neighborhood or that street,” said Barrie.
Investigators said the arrest of one suspected tagger will help curb the problem, but graffiti will almost certainly continue to appear.
“It is constant,” said Barrie. “We see it every day.”