Police Garage Vandal Caught Orange-Handed, Cops Say

Defacing police property is never a good idea. Neither is sitting in a public place after the act covered in the same paint used in crime.

According to the Tampa Police Department, Steven Adkins, 49, decided to do both.

The department’s Kennedy Boulevard parking garage was the target of the Wednesday night attack. The iconic mosaic that depicts scenes from Tampa’s early years was splashed with orange paint, ruining some of the images.

When police launched a search for the culprit, they didn’t have too much trouble finding him, an email from the department stated.

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Officers passing the Marion Street bus mall, 1211 N. Marion St., noticed a suspicious man “covered in orange paint” sitting right out in the open. Putting two-and-two together, offices decided to bring the man in for questioning in the vandalism case.

As it turns out, that paint matched the paint that was “thrown on the mosaic,” a department email stated.

Adkins, who has no known address, has been charged with felony criminal mischief and possession of cocaine. Adkins is no stranger to local law enforcement. Jail records indicate he’s been arrested several times in the recent past on such charges as making a false call to 911, drug possession and disorderly conduct.

It is unclear whether the mosaic can be restored.

Photo credit: Steven Adkins/Hillsborough County Jail

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