13-year-old boys caught painting graffiti on government building



Lawrence County commissioners want the boys to pay for the cleanup costs.
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- An alert employee working late caught two 13-year-old boys spray painting graffiti on the Lawrence County Government Center and notified police.
This is the second time in less than a week that graffiti was painted on the government center.
Police arrested the boys near the county jail at 9 p.m. Wednesday. They found four cans of spray paint in a backpack one was carrying.
Additional vandalism
Both boys admitted painting the government center, and they later told police they also sprayed graffiti on the New Castle Parking Authority building and garage on Mercer Street.
Police said they found skulls and words spray painted on all four floors of the parking garage.
The youths are each charged with two counts of criminal mischief and institutional vandalism.
Commissioner Dan Vogler said they suspect the two arrested also were responsible for the earlier vandalism at the government center.
County Commissioner Steve Craig said the county spent $4,000 cleaning the outside of the building this week to rid it of graffiti. He's unsure how much a second cleaning will cost.
Vogler said he intends to look into how the county can be reimbursed for its costs by the suspects.