Vandalism

The house, a three-bedroom cream-colored residence on a peaceful street, even had yellow and red roses waving merrily from the front lawn. And while the backyard was cramped, there was a nectarine tree, a red swing set and a small gazebo. This is it, Channise Davy thought. Home.

A 47-year-old transient is in custody for allegedly destroying three trees in the Matthew Shepard Human Rights Triangle, authorities said. Bruce Bartmann was arrested Wednesday by sheriff's deputies after he allegedly vandalized trees in the tribute garden last month, said Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore. He said investigators are not sure why Bartmann chose to vandalize the trees, which are a tribute to local gay leaders. The vandalism is not considered a hate crime.

A Caltech graduate student convicted five years ago of conspiracy and arson for vandalizing 125 SUVs has had his arson convictions overturned and his sentence vacated by a federal appeals court. William Cottrell, 29, should have been allowed to present evidence during his 2004 trial that his suffering from Asperger's syndrome prevented him from forming the specific intent to commit the arson attacks, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in an amended opinion this week. Cottrell's conspiracy conviction was upheld, but the 100-month prison sentence imposed on him for all of the offenses was vacated.

The former chairman of the California Horse Racing Board is the focus of a criminal investigation for allegedly keying a longtime nemesis' pricey foreign car in Hollywood Park's parking lot last month, the Inglewood Police Department said Monday. Richard Shapiro, who directed the CHRB for four years until his December resignation, allegedly scratched horse owner Jerry Jamgotchian's 2007 Jaguar XJS after an April 24 CHRB meeting.

After gang members turned an empty house in Pomona into their party hangout, the agent representing the foreclosure property gave them the personal heave-ho by simply moving in. Nobody bothered Ron Anderson -- who is 6 foot 2 and weighs 240 pounds -- as he replaced busted windows, painted over graffiti and removed empty beer bottles from what had once been a quaint family abode.

As the Los Angeles River bends into the vast industrial district east of downtown Los Angeles, it looks less like a waterway than a decaying open-air canvas for taggers. This largely hidden channel that runs through two rail yards is what authorities describe as the ultimate proving ground for graffiti vandals vying for visibility and reputation. This is not the graffiti you see in alleyways and storefronts.

How hazardous is the daredevil tagging that takes place on local freeways? That's the question motorists might be asking after a man apparently spray-painting graffiti on an overpass fell Saturday night onto the 5 Freeway in East Los Angeles. Authorities said such accidents occur but remain fairly rare despite taggers scaling ledges to commit vandalism high above roaring traffic. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Det.

A 17-year-old accused tagger was arrested today at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles on suspicion of prolific graffiti vandalism aboard MTA buses and trains and at stations across the region, sheriff's officials said. The youth, whose name was withheld because he is a juvenile, uses the moniker "Wonka" in his tagging and is part of a tagging crew known as the Urban Squad, Sheriff's Sgt. Augie Pando said. Pando said Wonka was responsible for at least $38,000 in damage.

Someone is swiping the cactuses in this upscale desert city. Over the last six months, there has been an epidemic of thefts. Officials say they have lost nearly $20,000 worth of the plants. The main target is the golden barrel, which, depending on its size, can fetch anywhere from $100 to $800 each.

Buoyed by the success of a six-month program to reduce graffiti in Pico Rivera and unincorporated Whittier, Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina will ask her colleagues today to approve a measure that would allow authorities to hold taggers -- and their parents -- liable for civil damages.