Police investigate rash of tagging

Haverhill

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February 20, 2013

Police investigate rash of tagging

Buildings, homes marred by red graffiti

By Mike LaBella mlabella@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Wed Feb 20, 2013, 01:19 AM EST

HAVERHILL — Police are looking for vandals who spray-painted large grafitti markings on several commercial and residential buildings in the city.

The damage occurred on High Street in the Mount Washington neighborhood and locations at the edge of the Acre neighborhood, including Winter and White streets and Monument Square.

The markings included large red letters, some of them 10 feet long, police said.

Police Detective Capt. Alan Ratte said the tagging appears to identify two separate groups and that the department’s expert on tagging, Detective John Moses, is investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to call Moses at the police station at 978-373-1212.

Police said the tags, which they believe could have been several days old before they were discovered, may be related to earlier reports of tagging at the Burnham School and the Italian-American Club. Police said they photographed the markings and will be comparing them to those made by known taggers.

The markings were discovered between 3:37 and 5:43 a.m. on Sunday by officers who were patrolling the city. The tags included “MS TRN” spray painted in red on the sides of a storage building in the Fantini Bakery parking lot at 375 Washington St., and “TRN” spray painted in red on the front of a home at 39 High St.

Police said the front of a multi-family residence at 50 White St. was sprayed with red lettering that was about 10 feet long and four feet tall and read “VM (STAR),” “TRN+MS” and “FVK MBS.”

The side of a building at 158 White St., which houses Loyalty Barber Shop, was tagged with “MV7” and “VM TRN M$” in large red letters.

The side of Bradford Seafood restaurant, 124 Winter St., that faces an alley was tagged with “ALMIGHTY” and “VM VTM 138,” also in large red letters.

Police also discovered that the back corner of the Walgreens at 310 Main St. that faces Portland Street and 4th Avenue was tagged in red with “VTM.”