SANTA MONICA—On Tuesday, August 20, the Santa Monica Police Department reported that an individual has been arrested for vandalizing a water meter. The SMPD reported on June 5, officers responded to a multiunit residential complex in the 2100 block of Ocean Park Blvd. about a vandalism incident.
The owner of the buildings noticed the wires to his sprinkler system control box were cut. When he checked the recordings from his external cameras, the building owner discovered that on May 31 at about 8 p.m. a male suspect tampered with the sprinkler box, jumped over the gate from the building into the alley, opened the city water meter box, and cut the wires inside. The suspect walked east in the alley south of Ocean Park Boulevard.
Officers canvassed the alley and located a total of seven city-owned water meters vandalized in addition to the building owner’s property. In mid-July, the Santa Monica Water Resources administrator reported that a total of 304 water meters had their wires cut over the span of several weeks and required replacement. Most of the damaged meters were in an area bordered by 14th Street to 25th Street and from the I-10 Freeway to Ashland Ave.
There was an additional cluster of damaged meters on the east end of the city between Ocean Park Boulevard and Pico Boulevard. The total cost of the damage to the city owned meters was calculated at approximately $45,000. Additional footage of the subject was also obtained. On August 13, investigators served a search warrant at a residence in Santa Monica.
The evidence connected Richard Martin, 51, to the vandalism of the water meters at the residence. He was also arrested and charged by the Los Angeles District Attorney with Felony Vandalism. He has prior criminal convictions for Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Felony Elder Abuse, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
Anyone with details about the incident or Martin is asked to contact Detective Hernandez at Esteban.Hernandez@santamonica.gov.
By Trevor