CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Lake County Superior Court's Southlake Division courthouse was damaged by graffiti vandalism last week.
The damage at the Clearlake courthouse, located at 7000 A South Center Drive, was discovered by an employee on the morning of Dec. 23, according to officials.
Lake County Superior Court Chief Executive Officer Krista LeVier said the graffiti was located on the front of the building and on both sides of the front entrance.
“We reported the tagging to Clearlake Police and will be turning over the security video footage we have of the incident,” LeVier said.
Clearlake Police Sgt. Nick Bennett said the building had last been secured at 5 p.m. Dec. 22, and an employee arriving at the building at 7:30 a.m. Dec. 23 discovered the vandalism.
Bennett said the graffiti included a picture of a Christmas tree spray painted in blue, spray painting on the parking lot, gang symbols and some profanity.
He said that the graffiti appears to be the work of members of the Nortenos street gang.
Since September 2008, the courthouse has been owned by the state. As such, LeVier received estimates back from Judicial Council facilities staff for repairs.
She said the estimated cost to remove all the graffiti is approximately $3,300.
The Southlake Division handles cases including child support, traffic infractions, non-traffic infractions, small claims and unlawful detainer cases, according to the Lake County Superior Court Web site.
The division had previously handled criminal cases as well, until those cases were moved to the Lakeport courthouse in August 2012 as a cost-saving measure, as Lake County News has reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Clearlake courthouse damaged by graffiti; gang believed responsible
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On