PARENTS OF PAIR PAY $20,000 IN TAGGER DAMAGE GRAFFITI RESTITUTION MADE TO TWO SCHOOLS, AGENCIES.

Byline: CAROL ROCK Staff Writer

VALENCIA -- Parents of two taggers arrested for vandalism that started at Saugus High School and spread to a nearby pipeline and College of the Canyons learned an expensive lesson Wednesday as more than $20,000 restitution was distributed to victims.

Representatives from Saugus High School, the Los Angeles County Public Works Department, the Department of Water and Power, Southern California Edison and the college gathered at the Santa Clarita sheriff's station to receive checks from the families of David Celaya and Andrew Wroblewski who are serving yearlong sentences in the county jail.

The two initially were arrested March 8 and released, but then rearrested and given high bail by Judge Lloyd Nash at an April 7 hearing.

They were sentenced May 12 to a year in jail and ordered to immediately pay their victims restitution.

Sheriff's Detective Pat O'Neill of the station's Career Offender Burglary Robbery Apprehension team said investigators were able to identify the men by their ``creek boys'' signatures.

``Our school deputy, Mike Deegan, was able to use the school's database and narrow the search to students who lived on Cherry Creek Drive and Sycamore Creek Drive,'' O'Neill said. ``They were charged with felony vandalism and the judge was so upset about the damage they caused, he remanded them into custody right there in court and made restitution part of their sentence.''

The Department of Public Works received the largest portion of the money, $10,750. Six thousand dollars went to the DWP, which owns the pipeline.

Valerie J. Hill, graffiti abatement program manager for the county, said the payment would go toward anti-graffiti programs focused in the area.

``We already have one working in Val Verde and other parts of the county,'' she said, noting that this award was the largest restitution check ever received by the county for this reason.

Smaller checks went to Southern California Edison, which received $400 and College of the Canyons, which was awarded $300.

Saugus High Assistant Principal Frank Ferry accepted a check for $1,250 for the school and $2,000 for contractor C.W. Driver, which suffered damage to its trailers and equipment located on campus.

``I personally feel good picking up these checks,'' said Ferry, handling the situation with humor.

O'Neill said when the suspects were arrested, deputies found photographs of the boys next to the pipeline after their ``work'' had been completed.

``In every house we go into, there's a book where they practice their tags or their friends sign them with their tags,'' he said. ``Hopefully this will alert parents to their responsibilities if their kids go wrong. It's their house and their kids can jeopardize that.''

Ferry said taggers can be found in households across-the-board.

``Everybody wants to believe it's somebody else, but these were affluent kids that had no business doing this,'' he said. ``These weren't gangbangers; both their parents are educators. This just proves that it can be any kid any time. Parents have got to be aware of their kids' activities, simple as that.''

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

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