By F. Scott Faulkner
October 25, 2025 – Ventura County, CA
A late-night tip from a watchful neighbor helped Ventura County Sheriff’s Department patrol
deputies catch a suspected tagger on the night of October 24.
According to VCSD spokesman Det. Axel Morales, deputies responded around 9:34 p.m. to a
Fillmore business address pursuant to “a reported vandalism in progress.”
When deputies arrived, they spotted a vehicle leaving the area that matched the reporting witness’s description.
Deputies pulled the car over in a “directed enforcement stop” and contacted 34 year-old Piru
resident Francisco Martinez.
As deputies made contact with Martinez, they noted “paint on his
clothing and other evidence” within his vehicle connecting him to a series of recent graffiti
vandalisms in the area.
A search of his vehicle reportedly turned up additional tagging materials.
Martinez was taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on
charges of felony graffiti vandalism and possession of graffiti tools, with his bail set at $12,500.
