Crime & Safety
Nicolls Road Trestle Tagger Arrested
Anonymous tip led to the arrest of 25-year-old Selden man for making graffiti.
Police have arrested one of the vandals who tagged the train trestle on Nicolls Road near the intersection of Route 25A.
Sixth precinct officers arrested Taylor S. Schotter, 25, of Selden, on Friday and charged him with four counts of making graffiti.
Schotter was allegedly responsible for the tag "ROBO," which recently appeared in multiple places on the Nicolls Road trestle. He was released on station house bail and is scheduled to appear in court in November.
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Police also arrested an associate of Schotter, Ryan Atkinson, 25, of Ronkonkoma, whom they say was responsible for the tag "KEANU," which has appeared alongside Route 347. Charged with seven counts of making graffiti, Atkinson was arraigned in First District Court in Central Islip. He was remanded to Riverhead Correctional Facility pending payment of bail.
Police say Schotter and Atkinson met through a graffiti taggers' website and coordinated their activities online. An anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers led to the arrest.
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The investigation is continuing in conjunction with Metropolitan Transportation Authority police and additional charges are anticipated due to damages to MTA property.
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