A 40-year-old Bellingham man faces second-degree burglary and first-degree malicious mischief charges for allegedly tagging a city of Kent water tower on the West Hill.
Kyle A. McLaughlin was one of 17 people charged and 34 felony cases filed by King County prosecutors after a crackdown on acts of tagging throughout the county that caused thousands of dollars of damage, according to a Dec. 19 email from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors charged McLaughlin Dec. 18.
“We want business owners and taxpayers who have been hurt by this to know that we hear that you have been harmed and that we are taking action,” King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said. “We want people to feel safe in their communities. We want businesses to stay and thrive in Seattle and all parts of King County. As King County prosecuting attorney, I want residents to know that laws are being appropriately enforced and that we are seeking accountability for harmful felony criminal behavior.”
The charges come after a months-long effort that included the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, Seattle Police, the King County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol.
Places damaged by graffiti included private businesses, Metro buses, parts of Interstate 5, billboards, the Ballard Bridge, a Sound Transit light rail car, an Amtrak train, the Yesler Bridge and other targets, including the Kent water tower.
“Destroying a mural in Kent with a tag is not art,” Manion said. “That is defacing and vandalizing public artwork.”
Manion also criticized other tags across the county.
“Dangling above freeway lanes to tag a traffic sign is not art,” she said. “It puts drivers at risk, causes significant damage to public property, and costs the Washington Department of Transportation millions of dollars annually to remove graffiti across our state.”
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.
McLaughlin reportedly painted his tag of “WESH” on the water tower while another local tagger Joseph Johnson painted “GRIDE.”
On Jan. 3, 2023, McLaughlin and Johnson allegedly illegally trespassed the water tower construction site at 24731 38th Ave. S., and spray painted their graffiti pieces, according to charging documents.
The graffiti/property damage cost the city of Kent Public Works Department $12,070 to repair, according to court documents.
McLaughlin reportedly first posted a picture of the water tower graffiti on Feb. 10, 2023 on Instagram.
Upon Johnson’s death in April 2024, McLaughlin posted a picture May 2, 2024 on his Instagram page, of Johnson in front of the water tower, positively identifying his as “GRIDE” and calling Johnson his partner in crime, according to charging documents.
The water tower was still under construction and surrounded by a fence when McLaughlin and 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. They then tagged the tower from about the 60-foot level to the 100-foot level. They each used their tagger names.
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.
McLaughlin and other defendants are expected to have arraignment hearings to enter initial pleas in early January in King County Superior Court.
The combined total of the damage estimated in the 34 filed cases totals nearly $100,000.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office intends to seek restitution for the significant damages it believes these defendants caused.
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