‘XAK’ returns

Graffiti vandal allegedly steals from press box

By OLIVER GOOD

Staff writer

A vandal who spray-painted city and county property with the moniker “XAK” in April struck again recently, stealing a sound adapter and tagging a wall inside the press box at Warrior Stadium.

“Whoever it was broke in and stole some equipment,” police chief Tyler Mermis said. “’XAK was tagged inside on a wall.”

The vandal did an estimated $100 of damage in addition to taking the audio adapter, valued at $37, according to police.

Since April, XAK has done an estimated $1,600 in damage to Marion’s east water tower, the roof of a picnic building in East Park, and a loading ramp less than a block away at 141 N. Coble St. at the county shop.

XAK allegedly also wrote “Do what you love, slave” on the picnic building, and “To the Stars” near the pinnacle of the water tower.

Mermis said investigators have made some progress.

“We ruled out any chances that it’s a juvenile,” Mermis said. “We have a good lead.”

Officers have been looking into sales records of the type of gray spray paint used in the vandalisms.

Out-of-county and out-of-state agencies also have been contacted in reference to a suspect, he said. Other agencies reportedly indicated a suspect had spray-painted some buildings. However, Mermis said the taggings in those cases did not exactly match what was written here.