Clearwater Police are investigating a series of criminal mischief incidents involving graffiti.
More than 40 incidents have been reported across the city in the last couple of months.
Many of them have been in the central and eastern part of the city. Some of the locations have included Belcher Road, Sunset Point Road, Hercules Avenue, Countryside Boulevard, U.S. 19 and others.
The graffiti has occurred on a mixture of public and private property – walls, fences, bus stop benches, electrical boxes and signs to name a few. Detectives are seeking to identify a white man who is tall and thin and wears dark clothing and a hat and carries a backpack, likely containing spray paint.
The suspect tags items with words such as “Hero,” “Baiko” and “Cra$h.”
Depending on the size of the graffiti, the damage amount from each case typically ranges from $500 to $1,000. At the old Albertson’s store at the corner of Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard and Belcher Road, the property manager estimated it would cost $2,000 to paint over multiple affected areas.
Anyone with information on the suspect should call Clearwater Police at 727-562-4242.
Video of detectives speaking to the community to help identify the graffiti subject