April 30, 2004

Graffiti on cop car spells jail for teenager

By Brendan Scott Times Herald-Record  bscott@th-record.com

Blooming Grove – A teenager apparently thought he was telling off local cops when he scrawled the crude acronym "FTP" on several pieces of police property last week, town police said.    They told him to go to jail instead.     The boy, 18, whose name was withheld because of his age, was arrested Wednesday on two counts of criminal mischief, a felony.    Detective Sgt. John Heppes said the boy, who lives in town, used a can of red spray paint to write "FTP" – graffiti shorthand for "F--- The Police" – on the station's sign and entrance and the hood of a police cruiser, during the early morning hours of April 23.    The damage to the police cruiser alone was put at more than $400.    The sign of the Washingtonville police station was also tagged.    Heppes said the boy was trying to get even with cops for investigating one of his friends.    Since the crimes took place in two jurisdictions, the suspect was sent to Orange County Jail in lieu of two $2,000 bails.    The investigation continues. If anyone has any more information, call Blooming Grove police at 496-9161 .

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