Man Who Spray Painted Z's Around Stafford Arrested: Police

STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — Authorities arrested a man accused of spray painting the letter Z on several facilities around Stafford County over the past week, the Stafford County Sheriff's Office said.

The sheriff's office identified the suspect as a 22-year-old man from Prince William County. He is charged with nine counts of vandalism. He was also wanted on an outstanding warrant in Stafford County for failing to appear in court.

Authorities said the man is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail. If convicted of all charges, the man could face up to nine years in prison, based on Virginia's sentencing guidelines.

The first spray painted Z was found on a garage door in north Stafford on Sunday, the sheriff's office said. Deputies would find more Z's on homes, businesses, and street signs throughout the week. One Z was spray painted onto a sign at the Ford T. Humphrey Public Safety Building, which hosts the sheriff's office.

On Wednesday morning, deputies were called to the McDonald's at 303 Town Center Boulevard. "They had also been struck with the mysterious Z; however, they had video of the incident," the sheriff's office wrote on Facebook. "Surveillance footage showed the suspect in his vehicle at the drive-through before defacing the property."

A deputy used the surveillance video to identify the suspect. He was taken into custody on Thursday morning.

"The suspect advised he refers to himself as 'Zack Black,' and that was his motivation for spray painting Z’s," the sheriff's office said.