Vandal Who Caused $10,000 Worth of Damage Serves Probation

A man who caused $10,000 worth of damage in a graffiti spree was sentenced to 36 months of probation.

He will also spend 166 days in a work release program and pay more than $5,000 to the court, according to records.

Michael Claude Epps, 20, pleaded guilty on April 29 to felony vandalism and giving marijuana to a minor, according to court records.

He was arrested with two other people: Casey James Reilly, 18, and another person whose name was withheld because he was younger than 18 years.

Files were not charged for Reilly, according to the district attorney’s office.

Epps was arrested on April 20 on suspicion of committing about 90 acts of vandalism in Temecula, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Vance Stolte.

The arrest came after a several-week-long investigation into tagging in the city. Clues led investigators to get search warrants for the suspects’ homes, which led to the arrest, the sergeant said.

The anti-graffiti operation was paid for by a grant from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance.

Each year, the City of Temecula spends more than $300,000 on getting rid of graffiti, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Potter.