Tip from Tarentum leads to charges in case of racist Pittsburgh graffiti

Megan Guza, The Tribune-Review, Greensburg
·2 min read

Apr. 15—A tip from a Tarentum police officer led Pittsburgh police to a man accused of painting racist, profane graffiti at a South Side Slopes ball field, according to charges against the man.

The graffiti was sprayed across the concession stand at Quarry Field off South 18th Street and consisted of racial slurs, swastikas and the tag "Orez." It was discovered April 5, and investigators determined it had been done between April 3 and 5, according to the criminal complaint written by Detective Alphonso Sloan, a member of the city's graffiti squad.

Pittsburgh Police put out a call for information about the tag "Orez." Tarentum Police Department Patrolman Matt Kaminski contacted Sloan with information about the vandal behind the tag, according to the complaint.

Kaminski said several graffiti incidents in Tarentum were caught on camera, and the suspected vandal was seen painting the tag before fleeing in a silvery Chevy Impala, according to the complaint. The Impala traced back to Matthew Dougherty and his father on St. Patrick Street on Pittsburgh's South Side.

Kaminski visited the home and spoke to Dougherty's father. He said he does not drive the Impala, and he'd "never heard of the town of Tarentum," according to the complaint.

While the Tarentum victims declined to press charges, Pittsburgh detectives visited the St. Patrick Street residence and noted both its proximity to Quarry Field and the proliferation of the "Orez" tag in the area, police wrote.

Sloan said that when police arrived at the home to interview Dougherty, he "immediately uttered, 'I'm going to be charged with all the graffiti.'" Detectives said Dougherty admitted to painting the "Orez" tag in the area as well as the graffiti found at Quarry Field.

The damage to the Quarry Field concession stand is estimated at about $4,350, police said.

Dougherty, 27, was charged via summons with criminal mischief, a second-degree misdemeanor.

Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 412-380-8519, mguza@triblive.com or via Twitter .