A man charged with second-degree burglary and first-degree malicious mischief for allegedly tagging a city of Kent water tower on the West Hill also faces charges in nine other graffiti cases.
Kyle A. McLaughlin, 40, of Bellingham, pleaded not guilty in two of the cases, according to a Dec. 30 email from Casey McNerthney, spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. McLaughlin’s arraignments in eight other cases, including Kent, were continued until Jan. 23.
All of the charges against McLaughlin are for malicious mischief and in two cases, including Kent, prosecutors added on burglary charges.
The water tower was still under construction and surrounded by a fence on Jan. 3, 2023, when McLaughlin and Joseph Johnson reportedly cut through the fence for access to the tower and then cut the chain and lock off the temporary door to the water tower stairs, according to charging documents. That led to the burglary charge.
They then reportedly tagged the tower from about the 60-foot level to the 100-foot level. They each used their tagger names of WESH for McLaughlin and GRIDE for Johnson. Johnson died from a fentanyl overdose in April 2024.
McLaughlin is one of 16 people charged in graffiti cases after a months-long crackdown by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Seattle City Attorney’s Office, Seattle Police, the King County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol.
Eleven pleaded not guilty, two failed to appear and bench warrants were issued for their arrest, two had their arraignments continued and one had their defense attorney make a motion for a competency evaluation, which was granted by the court, according to McNerthney.
Seattle Police investigated the Kent water tower case as part of its focus on what’s known as the MSP Graffiti Tagger Crew, which reportedly includes McLaughlin as a leading member. The group is considered one of the more infamous graffiti crews in the Seattle area. Besides the water tower, no other Kent sites were listed in charging documents.
McLaughlin uses graffiti to further promote the fame of his crew and his own reputation as a tagger, according to charging papers. MSP originally stood for McKinley Street Painters for the group’s origin on McKinley Avenue in Tacoma, according to charging papers. But the letters are most associated with Making Suckas Panic among other variations.
McLaughlin reportedly often posted videos of himself or other members of MSP and their graffiti associates committing felony and misdemeanor malicious mischief, according to an investigation by a Seattle Police detective.
That detective determined that McLaughlin had left the state of Washington at one point but returned in September 2024. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol arrested McLaughlin on Sept. 6, 2024 on I-90 in Quincy for first-degree felony malicious mischief related to a Seattle graffiti case.
The detective was able to get McLaughlin’s cellphone from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and received a search warrant from a King County Superior Court judge to review data on the phone.
The detective reportedly located a video on the phone that showed Johnson, the associate of McLaughlin, with his feet on the railing of the spiral stairs of the Kent water tower, 24731 38th Ave. S. Other images on the phone reportedly showed Johnson spray painting the water tower and walking up the water tower stairs.
The graffiti/property damage cost the city of Kent Public Works Department $12,070 to repair, according to court documents.
The city of Kent paid an artist $75,638 for the trees and Mount Rainier mural on the 16-story water tower. Construction of the water tower cost $8.5 million.
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