Emile Laurent Pleads Guilty in Graffiti Case

Portland, Oregon may be a bastion of chillness in the minds of many, but the city still has laws, and that includes anti-graffiti and vandalism laws. There has been a surge in graffiti in the city over the last couple years, and they are cracking down. One person caught in the crosshairs? Professional skateboarder Emile Laurent.

We will not allow Portland to be marred by graffiti and vandalism. I hope those responsible for defacing our city are held accountable for the damage caused. I want to thank @PortlandPolice for their work to investigate and apprehend the suspect. https://t.co/ap13tCnRvl

— Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) August 22, 2022

Laurent, who is sponsored by the Swedish company Polar, was arrested last August and charged with a whopping 25 counts of criminal mischief. He was purportedly behind a wave of “TENDO” tags, presumed to be short for “Nintendo,” which were tags on both private and public buildings. A couple days ago, Laurent cut a plea deal wherein he pled guilty to three misdemeanor counts and one felony count.

In doing so, he got three years of probation, 100 hours of community service, and $6,800 in fines, but avoided jail time. Now, we don’t like the idea of somebody getting jail time for graffiti – save that for violent criminals who aren’t safe to have on the streets – but that’s a story for another day.