Keene vandal gets year in jail
KEENE SENTINEL -- A Vermont man who sprayed graffiti on several buildings in Keene has been sentenced to a year in jail and ordered to pay more than $18,000 in restitution.
Kyle Wilcox, 20, of Milton pleaded guilty to a felony-level charge of being an accomplice or principal to criminal mischief during a hearing Oct. 27 in Cheshire County Superior Court.
Wilcox was sentenced to a year at the Cheshire County jail in Westmoreland. He had already served 118 days in jail before the sentencing hearing, and was given credit for that time.
In March, Wilcox was arrested in South Burlington, Vt., and charged with defacing the property of a radio station. Police said they later linked him to graffiti in Keene.
As part of the plea negotiation, Wilcox was ordered to pay an approximate total of $18,065 in restitution to the following businesses that were sprayed with graffiti: Sanel Auto Parts/Hyland Hill Auto Supply; Anderson the Florist; McCue's Billiards and Sports Lounge; Athens Pizza; NGM Insurance Co., Syd's Carpet and Snooze Room, 111 Realty and Keene State College.
The amount of restitution could have been greater, but the Cheshire County Attorney's Office did not receive information from additional businesses that were tagged, according to sentencing documents.
Other businesses that were sprayed with graffiti during the February incident include: Bank of America, Blueberry Fields, The Colonial Theatre, Domino's Pizza, NAPA Auto Parts, New England Art Center, Robert Mucha CPA, Thom Little Associates Ltd. and Tommy's Sports Corner.
Wilcox will be placed on probation for five years when he is released from jail. He will also take a tour of N.H. State Prison.
Wilcox's alleged accomplice, Richard S. Schneehagen, 19, of South Burlington, Vt., awaits a resolution in his case. He is also charged with felony criminal mischief.
Schneehagen was arrested in March after police called in a graffiti expert to read the words spray-painted on buildings around the city.
A tag on several buildings, "VENSR," led police to Schneehagen.
Schneehagen was arrested last year for allegedly writing graffiti that included the tag "VENSR SEIZAH" on a 60-foot section of a warehouse in Williston, Vt. That graffiti cost about $21,000 to repair, according to television station WCAX.- By PHILLIP BANTZ, Sentinel Staff
