Alva Review-Courier -

Numerous properties, including an Alva police car, were vandalized with blue spray paint in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Oct. 17. Alva Police Officer Sean Farris began investigating about 8 a.m. after receiving images of a white four-door sedan that was captured by the security cameras at Northwest Electric. The occupants of the vehicle were believed to be responsible for the vandalism to the rear of the building.

Court documents show Farris and Assistant Police Chief Patrick Hawley went to Alva High School to look for the vehicle. Unable to find it, they then checked parking at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. About 11 a.m. Hawley located a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt in the far south Ament Hall parking lot that seemed to match. The vehicle had an NWOSU parking decal.

An officer stayed with the vehicle while Farris went to the office of the dean of student affairs. Dean Mosburg called Love and asked him to come by the office. When he arrived, Farris asked him what he had been doing about 3 a.m. Love said he and some friends had been out driving around the city square and had gone to Wal-Mart because they were bored.

Farris explained that a vehicle matching Love’s had been seen on a security camera behind a business that had been vandalized at 3:09 a.m. Love said a guy named Drexyel had been in the car with him. He said he drove to a few different locations where Drexyel got out of the car, and then he would pick him up a few minutes later. Farris explained a number of places had been vandalized with blue paint and asked to search his vehicle.

Love gave consent for the search so Farris took him to the vehicle where Officer Tim Clapp was securing the car. During the search, Clapp found a blue plastic lid to a spray paint can under the passenger seat. Farris told Love with the level of damage, he was looking at a felony charge. If he had not participated he needed to provide information on who did.

Love said his roommate, George Leatherman, had been with him along with Drexyel and Erin. He agreed to call Leatherman but did not know the last names or phone numbers of the other two. While waiting for Leatherman to arrive, Love admitted to driving Drexyel around and that Drexyel had been the one doing the spray painting.

Farris talked to Leatherman who did not know anything more about Erin but said he had Drexyel on SnapChat. Both Love and Leatherman tried to contact him on SnapChat and showed Farris the contact page for Drexyel. Farris observed the username was Johnny8ball and the SnapChat name was Drexyel. The vandalism at Northwest Electric was of an 8-ball in blue spray paint and the vandalism on the police car written in blue spray paint was “Johnny 8 ball.”

Both Leatherman and Love told Farris they knew that Drexyel was using spray paint they had picked up at Wal-Mart to vandalize properties. Hawley returned to the parking lot and asked Leatherman and Love to show him their hands. Love had blue paint around his fingernails and Leatherman had blue paint on his palms and fingers.

Hawley followed up with Wal-Mart and learned the blue spray paint picked up by Love and Leatherman was stolen from the store, according to security videos from Wal-Mart.

Eventually Love and Leatherman told Farris they did some of the vandalism but not all of it. Farris drove Love around so he could point out where the vandalism occurred. He also showed Farris the house where he dropped off Drexyel and Erin after they were finished.

After leaving Love at the police department, Farris went to Lynn Martin Photography where he viewed security video of the alley. The business is next to a building that was vandalized. The footage showed the same vehicle stopping in the alley where a male subject exits the passenger side, moves just off the screen for a few seconds and then returns.

About 6 p.m. Farris returned to the residence where Love said he dropped off the other two suspects. A woman there identified them as Erin Smith and her boyfriend Drexyel Nelson, but they were not at home. Farris was told the places they worked, and police were able to contact them.

Nine properties were vandalized with a total estimated damage cost of $2,210. Owners listed are City of Alva, Northwest Electric, Chopsticks, Alva’s Market, Ruma Lic Liquid Feed, Gary Adams, Carmen Eicken, Manuel Gonzalez and David Lyon.

A felony charge of malicious injury to property was filed Oct. 30 in Woods County against Austen Michael Love, 21, of Buffalo; George Odin Leatherman, 18, of San Angelo, Texas; Drexyel Alan Nelson, 19, of Alva; and Erin Nicole Smith, 19, of Alva. This crime is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for up to two years or a fine not exceeding $1,000 or by both fine and imprisonment.

All four individuals are also charged with two misdemeanors: injure or molest motor vehicle (for damage to the police car) and petit larceny (for theft of spray paint). The first is punishable for up to one year in prison and/or a fine of up to $500. The second charge is punishable by imprisonment for up to six months or a fine of $10 to $500, or both.

All four have posted appearance bonds. They are scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 12.