Portland sends graffiti vandals to jail – for the first time since the city cracked down

A man who avoided prison when he was first caught spraying graffiti in Portland was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on Monday for continuing to associate with the drug dealer.

Jerry Mijangos – better known by his tag KASR – is the first graffiti vandal to be jailed as part of Portland's crackdown on waves of paint that defaced city buildings and freeway overpasses.

The 28-year-old was previously arrested in Multnomah County District Court for criminal damage in 2022 and sentenced to probation the following year. But Mijangos' vandalism spree continued, leading to his arrest on Jan. 30. He was released from custody but ended up back behind bars last month after he was caught spray-painting his tag again, records show.

District Judge Andrew Lavin imposed a two-and-a-half-year sentence with credit for time already served as part of a plea deal, and ruled that Mijangos could get time off for good behavior. Mijangos, believed to be responsible for hundreds of license plates across the city, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree criminal damage.

Graffiti has become a far more visible problem in recent years as enforcement has been slow during the pandemic. Gov. Tina Kotek donned a yellow vest last month and personally painted over a sign on Interstate 84 while touting a $20 million infusion to clean up Portland's highways.

Prosecutors are still pressing charges against other accused taggers, including Aidan Saul and Cameron Johnson-Jung, who has an arrest warrant out for him. Emile Laurent, the professional skateboarder known for his “TENDO” tag, was sentenced to probation a year ago.

Police said they recently seized thousands of dollars worth of spray paint from the home of James S. Fischel after he was interviewed for an online documentary about local taggers.

Fischel, 40, is not currently facing charges in Multnomah County, but he was arrested Monday during a raid on a Yamhill County home on Spring Butte Road on suspicion of illegal marijuana cultivation. Sheriff's officials say they confiscated about 250 marijuana plants.

As for Mijangos, he was in good spirits during his sentencing hearing on Monday, shaking his fist with his defense attorney and discussing plans to see his young son after his release.

In February, City Hall simplified its program for punishing property owners who leave graffiti up. The police department also assigned two officers to track down repeat offenders in the city. District Attorney Keegan Matosich takes on many of the cases that end up in court.

—Zane Sparling covers breaking news and court issues for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-319-7083, [email protected] or @pdxzane.

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