Iron County deputies seek public’s help identifying alleged graffiti vandal

Social media screenshot of an individual suspected of spray painting vulgar and racist graffiti on a concrete tunnel near Cedar City, Utah, June 2021. Note that parts of certain words have been blurred via editing. | Instagram screenshot courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Authorities are seeking information regarding the recent spray painting of vulgar and racist words on a concrete tunnel entrance near Cedar City.

Social media screenshot of an individual suspected of spray painting graffiti on a concrete tunnel near Cedar City, Utah June 2021. | Instagram screenshot courtesy of Iron County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News / Cedar City News

In a Facebook post Friday, the Iron County Sheriff’s Office asked for the public’s help in identifying an individual believed to have been responsible. The post includes a picture of a smiling young man who appears to be in his late teens or early 20s, holding a can of what appears to be purple spray paint. The individual in the photo is wearing a light blue shirt, tan pants and black shoes, along with a baseball cap worn backwards.

Behind him on the concrete wall, in purple letters, is the name Jazmin along with derogatory and racist slurs.

The graffiti was made on one of the concrete tunnels that go under Interstate 15 north of Cedar City, on the stretch between Enoch and Summit, a sheriff’s office spokesman told Cedar City News.

“Not only is the graffiti he sprayed offensive, it also causes an unnecessary burden on UDOT to clean it up which in turn uses taxpayers money to waste resources,” the post stated.

The sheriff’s office said investigators have already tried unsuccessfully to make an identification based on an Instagram account tag on the original photo.

Anyone who knows the identity of the individual in the photo or the person who may have taken the photo is asked to contact Iron County Sheriff’s Office at 435-867-7500 and ask for Detective Byrd.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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