Sheriff's Officials Warn of Penalties for Graffiti on Trails

Oakland County Sheriff's deputies are issuing a warning that vandals can face a misdemeanor charge and offenders will have an arrest record after a graffiti incident along the Paint Creek Trail this month.

Three teenagers were charged with disorderly conduct after deputies from the Orion Township Substation responded Oct. 3 to a report of a suspicious vehicle and found graffiti beneath the underpass of the Golden Gate Bridge that passes over the Paint Creek Trail, according to the station. The three teens admitted to their involvement in the incident, the station reported. 

As a result of recent similar incidents along the Paint Creek Trail, enforcement efforts have been stepped up, the department has warned. The group of teens in the Oct. 3 incident is the second such group to face charges in recent weeks for vandalizing the public property. 

"The Sheriff’s Office wishes to remind the public that graffiti and vandalism is a misdemeanor offense and offenders will have an arrest record," the station said in a statement Monday.