Mayor upset vandals were spared jail time

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) -- Two vandals were spared jail time after pleading guilty to vandalizing several historic buildings in downtown New Bedford, leaving the city’s mayor frustrated.

An overnight graffiti spree in 2011 left some of New Bedford’s most historic buildings covered in spray paint.

Three Rhode Island men were arrested , while two of them pled guilty and will not be serving jail time.

25-year-old Reddick Vaughn and 35-year-old Shawn Marrow pleaded guilty in court and have to pay nearly $4,000 in restitution, serve probation, and work hundreds of hours of community service.

A third man charged, 26-year-old Kyle Pollock, is still awaiting trial.

Mayor Jon Mitchell wrote to the judge urging for jail time.

“This was really a dagger at the heart of the city's identity, the judge needed to know this wasn’t just some graffiti case like all the other ones that come into the court,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell says the two got out of jail time by waiting to plea until the right judge came along who would be lenient.

The mayor said he will focus on the community service part of the sentence by putting them to work and even making them use toothbrushes to clean buildings.