5 DEPUTIES COMMENDED FOR DILIGENCE.

Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer

Five Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's deputies were honored Wednesday for their role in the arrest of local taggers, which authorities said helped solve dozens of vandalism cases.

Deputies Max Godinez, Michael Konecny, Thomas McGee, Anthony Miano and Michael Poirier were praised by Capt. Mike Quinn and given written commendations for their outstanding work.

``Efforts such as these make me proud to be the SCV station commander,'' Quinn said. The written commendations are placed in the deputies' personnel files and can be used to bolster future promotions.

On Aug. 15, a 66-year-old member of Santa Clarita Pride - a local group whose members clean up graffiti in the area - was pelted with eggs as he rode his bicycle down Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country.

The victim flagged down Deputies Poirier and Konecny and gave them a description of the vehicle carrying his suspected assailants.

The officers were joined by Godinez and McGee and moments later were able to locate the suspects.

``The excellent initial investigation by Poirier and Konecny led to the arrest of the suspects who were charged with assault, possession of LSD, under the influence of LSD, curfew violation and a minor in possession of alcohol,'' Quinn said.

But deputies didn't realize the capture of the suspects would lead to something bigger than an assault charge. Officers discovered evidence that linked at least one youth to a gang of taggers who were responsible for thousands of dollars of damage from graffiti vandalism, Quinn said.

Authorities said the taggers used the tags ``DTS'' and ``TIF'' and presented frustrating challenges to investigators. Despite a tremendous amount of effort to locate and arrest them, crew members managed to escape the long arm of the law.

``(But) these officers were dedicated, this demonstrated the dedication they have to the community,'' Quinn said.

After Poirier and Konecny received more information, Miano was called at home in the middle of the night for assistance. Miano interviewed the five suspects for eight hours, learning names of tagging crew members and then obtaining confessions, which police said is extremely important for prosecution.

``Every so often, deputies go above and beyond the call of duty. These guys put their souls into this one,'' Quinn said.

Deputy Allen Young, a sheriff's investigator, said the information obtained by the officers in this case also could lead to the solving of as many as 100 vandalism cases.

The deputies will be honored by the city at an awards ceremony in October, said Santa Clarita spokeswoman Gail Ortiz.