Lomita, 15 Year Old Helps Graffiti School Wall, JOIN Program

Our client, age 15, and his twelve year old neighbor decided to go to a local school with some spray paint. Our client was enthralled with making videos and posting things on YouTube, so he saw the trip as an opportunity to film his friend while also acting as a lookout while his friend actually spray painted.

Summary in 50 Words or Less: Client, age fifteen, helps act as a lookout for his friend, age twelve, spray painting wall (graffiti / vandalism) at Lomita school. Client videotapes the crime to post it on Youtube. Client’s case referred to JOIN program at Inglewood Juvenile Court and client avoids a juvenile adjudication (equivalent to conviction in adult court).

As the duo was leaving the school, a Verizon van drove by and then stopped at the school. The kids walked by, nervously suspecting that the driver stopped to observe them.

The kids’ suspicions may have been correct, as a police officer then pulled up to the curb and asked the kids where they had been. Our client quickly confessed to everything, even describing his role as a “lookout.” The younger boy, in contrast, said nothing as one might expect from a hardened, street-wise felon.

The two were then taken to the Lomita Sheriff’s Station, where our client continued to talk. The police, in fact, even described him as “very cooperative” when they released him to his mom several hours later. When the sheriffs released him, they had both he and his mom sign a promise to appear in the Inglewood courthouse in about six weeks for arrest charges of violating Penal Code § 594(b), felony vandalism.

The next day, a Monday, the client’s mom called Greg Hill & Associates and met with Greg the same day. The son was still shaken up by being in a jail for several hours. He was also quite concerned that a felony could be punished by at least one year in prison.

Greg first listened to the client explain what had happened and describe what he told the police.

Juvenile Court Inglewood

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