VAN NUYS : Suspected Tagger’s Bail Bid Denied

A man accused of scrawling graffiti across the San Fernando Valley has lost a bid to have his $12,600 bail reduced.

Van Nuys Municipal Court Commissioner Mitchell Block turned down a request by Michael Adamar of Granada Hills to be released on his own recognizance.

Adamar, 18, is being held in County Jail, awaiting a June 7 trial on four counts of vandalism. He pleaded not guilty to the charges after being arrested May 17.

Deputy City Atty. Gary Geuss said police reports link the Granada Hills High School student to 15 additional incidents, and more charges will likely be filed.

Adamar’s case is one of the first to be prosecuted after the Los Angeles Police Department began tracking graffiti vandals with a centralized computer system that allows investigators to compare reports of tagging, Geuss said.

The prosecutor said Adamar’s tagging on public buildings and an LAPD anti-graffiti trailer has cost approximately $11,000 to clean. “He has wreaked a whole lot of damage throughout the Valley,” Geuss said outside the courtroom.

Authorities said Adamar belongs to a “tagging crew” known as DYP, which stands for Destroy Your Property.