A Roswell Road graffiti suspect police say vandalized several East Marietta businesses and public properties has been charged with 15 felonies.
According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records, William Carswell, age 17 or 18, of Fawn Place in East Cobb, was arrested and booked into at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on Oct. 5. He was released Oct. 8 on a $15,000 bond.
Of the felony charges against Carswell, 14 are for interference with government property and another for second degree criminal property damage, as well as a single misdemeanor count of criminal trespass.
Marietta Police allege the suspect carved the window of the Beats Barber Shop at 1476 Roswell Road on Sept. 19 with the lettering “WUSHU” and later spray-painted an ice machine the same way at a business at 1462 Roswell Road, in the East Marietta Shopping Center.
Police said as their investigation continued, and they strung together video evidence, “footage from several locations showed a young male tagging several locations in the Cobb County area.”
Those locations included bridges in the area, according to police.
Police said Carswell has a previous arrest history with similar charges of interference with government property, criminal trespass and criminal property damage.
Marietta Police said it has contacted other nearby law enforcement agencies about possible vandalism incidents that may be connected to Carswell as it continues its investigation.
“Graffiti may not seem to rank up there with violent crime, yet in terms of Community Policing, graffiti is exactly the kind of environmental crime that causes neighborhoods and business areas to deteriorate,” Marietta Police said in a statement. “If the police can reverse the environmental conditions that cause more serious social conditions and crime, we can prevent crime and promote public safety.”
