Graffiti spree in Grass Valley leads to teen’s arrest

An 18-year-old man is facing a felony vandalism charge after the Grass Valley Police Department arrested him on suspicion of tagging 28 businesses and one residence with graffiti.

The vandalism occurred between Sunday and Tuesday, when the suspect was arrested, according to a Facebook post by the police department.

The graffiti, mostly about six feet wide, was sprayed on property on South Auburn Street, McKnight Way and Freeman Lane in Grass Valley. Among the words and abbreviations used were “CREED,” “NSF” and “FTC.”

Police estimated that the cost of cleanup, repairs and replacement of property will cost thousands of dollars.

On Monday evening, the Grass Valley Police Department released video surveillance of the vandalism, asking the public to help identify the suspect.

“This act of vandalism and defacing our city is not characteristic of our community. As such, GVPD Officers and Detectives gave this case close attention developing leads and following up on tips from community members,” the department said in the Facebook post.

On Tuesday, undercover police monitored the area of the vandalism and came across the suspect, who resembled and appeared in the same clothing as the man in the surveillance footage. Authorities followed him until he met with friends at a residence, where they made contact with him, the post said. Upon seeing paint splatter matching the graffiti on his clothing, police arrested him at French Avenue and Jenkins Street.

Nathaniel Nunez De Arco was booked and charged with felony vandalism, with bail set at $10,000, according to Nevada County jail logs.