Man, 27, faces felony charge in $45,000 Reno graffiti spree

RENO -- Reno police have arrested a 27-year-old man on a felony charge after an investigation into a graffiti spree that caused nearly $45,000 in damage.

Ezequiel Baltazar of Reno was taken into custody Tuesday after a gang unit and the city's Graffiti Enforcement Team looked into 193 instances of tagging.

Graffiti is a misdemeanor offense, but Reno authorities said the high number of cases connected to Baltazar allows them to charge him with a felony.

A new state law that takes effect in October puts tougher penalties on tagging. The law will allow authorities to charge taggers with a gross misdemeanor charge once the damage in combined graffiti cases hits $500.