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SALT LAKE CITY — A man was arrested Sunday after police say he spray-painted graffiti on furniture waiting to be moved into a downtown store, causing more than $34,000 in damage.
Joshua Dean Cade, 32, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of property damage and marijuana possession. Due to the estimated dollar loss from the alleged vandalism, Cade could potentially be charged with a second-degree felony.
On Sunday, Salt Lake police were called to 50 S. Main, where chairs and other furniture was being moved into Restoration Hardware.
"Cade was observed on video surveillance pulling out a can of spray paint out of his backpack and began to spray multiple furniture items in orange that were being moved into a retail store," according to a police booking affidavit. "(The store) estimated that cost of damage property over $34,000."
About 2:40 p.m., Cade was located by officers on a nearby street. When police searched his backpack, "multiple cans of spray paint were located along with a small baggie containing leafy unburnt marijuana," the affidavit states.
Cade pleaded guilty in November to an amended graffiti charge, a class A misdemeanor, after he was charged with spray-painting the glass partition at the Courthouse TRAX platform, 450 S. Main. His guilty plea was to be held in abeyance for three years while he was on probation.
When confronted by a police officer, the officer asked Cade if he had any questions.
"About my art?" Cade responded, according to charging documents.
While the officer noted Cade was "respectful and courteous" during their interaction, Cade also explained "his graffiti art was an anti-establishment symbol as he was not a fan of the government or the police," the charges say. Several hours after being confronted by police for that incident, Cade was accused of spray-painting six windows of a TRAX train.
Most recently, Cade was convicted in January of theft by receiving stolen property, a third-degree felony. He was scheduled to be sentenced in that case on Monday,
