A Valencia teen accused of “graphic” graffiti on several cars and homes in the North Park community of Valencia pleaded not guilty to three felony counts and three misdemeanor counts of vandalism, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.

Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking Santa Clarita news alerts delivered right to your inbox.

Jake Heffernan, 19, of Valencia, was arraigned today on six charges, which were brought by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, following an investigation by Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies.

Heffernan is due back in court next year, according to officials with the District Attorney’s Office.

“There were three vehicles that were tagged by the defendant, and the damage was at a felony level,” said Mykka Piantanida, deputy district attorney. “And so for a felony charge the damage or cost to clean up the vandalism has to be more than $400.”

The misdemeanor charges were related to graffiti found on three houses near the cars, Piantanida said, adding that the felony charges were a result of the damages there being less significant.

Heffernan, 19, who lives in the North Park community, was arrested Oct. 16 on suspicion that he spraypainted lewd and sexually explicit material on vehicles, houses and property in and surrounding Liana Lane, according to Sheriff’s Station reports obtained by KHTS AM-1220.

The various owners of the vandalized property included Time Warner Cable, the city of Santa Clarita and neighborhood residents, according to a criminal complaint.

He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at Department S Los Angeles Superior Court in San Fernando

due in court Oct. 18 on the charge because it’s standard for a suspect to receive an initial arraignment within two days of an arrest.

Jake is the son of Charles Heffernan, chair of the Santa Clarita Planning Commission and president of the homeowners association for the neighborhood that was vandalized.

“(Heffernan’s) next court date is Jan. 14 for preliminary hearing setting in Department 130 of Los Angeles County Superior Court, San Fernando branch,” according to an email statement from Shiara Davila-Morales, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

[node:title]

Article: [node:title]
Source: Santa Clarita News
Author: [node:author]