Since April 2024, officers with 1 District (St. Catharines/Thorold) Community Oriented Response and Engagement (CORE) Unit have been investigating numerous similar graffiti tags that have been appearing in the downtown core of St. Catharines.
Members of the CORE Unit identified over 30 locations with similarly styled “tags”. The “tags” have been located on commercial property, private property, City of St. Catharines property, and Niagara Region property.
The offences are believed to have occurred between October of 2022 and May of 2024.
On September 7, 2024, 40-year-old, Anthony Johnson of the City of St. Catharines was charged with the following criminal offences:
Mischief Over $5000 (Global Count) Mischief Under $5000 (2 Counts) Failing to Comply with Release Order
A global count is a judicial process that allows for the courts to administratively include multiple offences during a specific time period under one count. While it is one count, the courts recognize the increased severity during the judicial process.
Police believe there could be further unreported damage. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the officer in charge at 905-688-4111, option 3, extension #1009659.
Inc# 24-36518, #24-64777, #24-94025
See photos.