Five teens arrested for vandalism unrelated to downtown incidents

Attorneys Trent Pruett and Beth Bullock are among eight victimized by vandals over the weekend. Gaffney police are still searching for the people responsible for spraypainting graffiti on downtown buildings and the city's skateboard park. Police said the arrest of five juveniles for vandalism Monday is not related to similar incidents that occurred in downtown Gaffney over the weekend.

Officer John Fuller was on routine patrol at 8:45 p.m. when he received a report that a group of juveniles were spray-painting a house at 912 North Granard St., according to a report on file at the Gaffney Law Enforcement Center. An estimated $600 in damages was done to the residence and driveway.

Fuller observed the juveniles leaving the scene and after a brief foot chase he caught the juveniles and confiscated a can of black spray paint.

One of the teenagers not involved in the vandalism threw down a handgun which was wrapped in a white Tshirt, the report states. The items were recovered by the officer and placed into evidence.

The group of juveniles included five 13-year-olds and a 14-year-old. The teenagers were transported to the police station and released to the custody of their parents.

Officers Wilbert Jamison said the vandalism incident Monday is not related to the vandalism incidents that occurred over the weekend.

Between Friday evening and Sunday, vandals struck the law offices of Trent Pruett and Usha Bridges, Hartzog's, Perry's Tire Service, PeachCenter Ministries and the city skateboard park.

Police have developed a suspect and hope to make an arrest soon in last weekend's vandalism incidents, Jamison said.

Five warrants have been signed against a Gaffney man arrested Monday in connection with last month's vandalism of the city's new $170,000 skateboard park.

Dustin Lee Peterson, 19, of 130 Pipeline Drive is accused in the warrants of using spray-paint to damage city property and malicious injury to real property. The alleged vandalism incidents occurred at Decorative Fabrics on Chandler Drive, Kings Beauty Supply on North Granard Street, Hamrick Mills on Buford Street, H & B Tax Service on Cherokee Avenue, the city skateboard park on Oliver Street and a city sidewalk.

Peterson remains in the Cherokee County Detention Center in lieu a $5,278 bond.