Judge sentences tagger to 18 months in jail
Man was part of group that hit Southside
By Mary Ann Cavazos (Contact)
Originally published 05:23 p.m., September 4, 2009
Updated 11:32 p.m., September 4, 2009
Hernandez
Hernandez
CORPUS CHRISTI — A San Antonio tagger who wanted to leave his mark on Corpus Christi paid the price Friday: 18 months in jail.
Andrew Hernandez, 20, pleaded no contest to a state jail felony graffiti charge and asked the judge for probation.
Police say Hernandez and a group of other San Antonio taggers went on a rampage on Oct. 5, 2008, spray-painting businesses, vehicles, a cable box, telephone pole, and fences on the city’s Southside.
He cried on the witness stand saying he had fallen in with the wrong crowd and had trouble dealing with his parents’ separation.
“I just wasn’t thinking,” he said.
Hernandez sobbed when 347th District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos announced her decision.
He said since his arrest he started going to church, made plans to join the Army and wanted to set an example for his 2-year-old son.
Hernandez’s attorney, Carmine Giardino, argued that Hernandez should be put on probation to clean up graffiti and pay back property owners.
The four business owners who testified said they wanted Hernandez sent to jail.
Prosecutor James Sales pointed out Hernandez has no job to pay back anyone and already was on probation for graffiti in 2007.
He said Hernandez’s sudden desire to join the military was a way for him to try and avoid the consequences of what he did. He also brought up that Hernandez has photos of his tagging exploits over the years on a social networking Web site.
“He’s a punk. That’s what he is,” Sales said. “(Jail is) the only way that these graffiti people will get the message...”
Hernandez faced as many as two years in jail and as much as a $10,000 fine.
Three others still face graffiti charges.
