Lewes – The Delaware State Police have arrested two people in connection with graffiti spray painted on school busses and other property in the Lewes area.

The investigation began this morning, Monday October 16, 2017 around 5:40 a.m. when an employee arrived at the bus lot adjacent to the Cape Henlopen High School to unlock the busses. The employee noticed profane and racial slurs spray painted in black along side of two of the busses and called 9-1-1 right away.  Troopers began receiving additional calls to report other incidents of the same nature around 8:26 a.m. and responded to an area behind Midway Movie Theater where a forklift and mobile office trailer had been vandalized with spray paint.  Boulevard Ford on Coastal Highway had five vehicles spray painted along with a privately owned vehicle located in Heritage Village on Bethpage Drive.

Through investigative measures and surveillance images of a white Buick passenger car obtained in the investigation, troopers were able to determine that Zachary J. Baughman, 19 of Lincoln, was involved with the incidents after verifying a traffic stop had been conducted by Lewes Police Department around 1:50 a.m. this morning (Monday October 16, 2017).  A passenger at the time of the stop was identified as Steven T. Swain, 22 of Harrington, who was also linked to the crimes.

Troopers were able to contact both suspects at their residences and they turned themselves into Troop 7 this evening where they were charged with five counts of Graffiti and five counts of Conspiracy 3rd.  They were arraigned at JP2 and released on $10,000.00 unsecured bond.

For information regarding the traffic stop, please contact Lewes Police Department.

Presented by Public Information Officer, Master Corporal Gary Fournier

Released: 101617 2020

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