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Published - Tuesday, May 13, 2008

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Man charged with vandalizing downtown buildings with spray paint


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Criminal charges were filed Monday against a La Crosse man accused of spray painting graffiti on a number of downtown businesses.

Nicholas S. Dygert, 23, of 131 S. Ninth St., was charged in La Crosse County Circuit Court with five counts of graffiti.
Dygert was seen painting an unknown symbol with blue spray paint on a building on the 400 block of Jay Street just before 1 a.m. Sunday, according to the criminal complaint.

Police were unable to find anyone at that site, but later in the morning an officer saw someone matching Dygert’s description spray painting on another downtown building.

Although Dygert had blue paint on his hands, a can of spray paint in the front of his hooded sweatshirt and several spray nozzles in his pants pockets, he denied painting buildings, according to the complaint.

Dygert reportedly told police he was painting on canvas “at a local business where people gather to paint on canvas and drink.” But Dygert left his “comfort zone” and was stopped by police.

A scan of downtown buildings found similar symbols in blue paint on buildings at 423 and 417 Jay St., 418 and 400 Main St. and 112 S. Fifth Ave.

Dan Springer can be reached at dspringer@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8269.
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Stina03 wrote on May 15, 2008 7:51 PM:

" You know. You all don't know him. I have known him for over 11 years and he only did this because he was drunk and stupid. Give me one person who doesn't regret something they did when they were drunk. Maybe the problem is the drinking in La Crosse. Thats like beating a dead horse, I know. But seriously. You are all riled up about this and its stupid. "

Now What wrote on May 13, 2008 10:33 PM:

" To "random annoying bozo": Blaming the building owners for the graffiti problem is like blaming the victim for the rape. Just take a shower as soon as it's over. That will curtail the rape problem. You are imbecile who has neither the ways nor the means to be a property owner, and therefore, will never be a victim of graffiti. I am a property, and have been the victim of graffiti. It was not my fault that some punk chose to deface my building. I just hope that if Nicholas S. Dygert is found guilty of the charges that the proverbial book is thrown at him to send a message. "

happymom wrote on May 13, 2008 4:28 PM:

" Wouldn't that be a fantastic intervention for all those waste-of-human-flesh types who find meaning in defacing other people's prperty? The military tends to crank out better men than do jails, anyway. God, that poor kid looks like he needs some sunlight and a pork chop... "

happymom wrote on May 13, 2008 4:24 PM:

" Rather than jail, I feel an appropriate way to deal with this pasty-looking, frail, underchallenged male is to sign him up to SERVE our country. He can pick which branch of the military he would like to join. He cannot drop out until he has grown a set of cojones, a spine, and character. "

ad4mj9381 wrote on May 13, 2008 4:19 PM:

" ... My most sincere apologies, I didn't realize that my grammar was so important to you. Thank you so much for caring about me. Idiot "

random annoying bozo wrote on May 13, 2008 4:00 PM:

" graffiti has been around since man first started walking upright. we even study graffiti to learn about past civilizations, cave drawings are an example of that. there really isn't much of a graffit problem in LaCrosse, it just appears much worse than it is because some businesses leave it on their buildings for months. the quickest way to curtail graffit is to remove it as soon as possible. maybe some of the downtown locations should try that. "

... wrote on May 13, 2008 3:11 PM:

" To: ad4mj9381

Dude, please use better grammar and spelling. Thank you.

...what company hired you as a manager? D*mn, my 4 year old is smarter than you. "

deliverusfromevil wrote on May 13, 2008 12:32 PM:

" "Unknown symbol"??? Are you sure it wasn't a smiley face? Is Nick the serial killer? "

Nick wrote on May 13, 2008 10:23 AM:

" I still say that if he passions for painting, let him repainted all the buildings he messed up at his cost back to it's original color. And if that still not enough, we have his adress. Let see how he feels to be a victim. "

ad4mj9381 wrote on May 13, 2008 10:13 AM:

" no but thanks for the slight of character antieverything, use to be his manager at an area buisness that he worked at... that was a pretty uncalled for comment "

antieverything wrote on May 13, 2008 10:01 AM:

" ad4mj9381... whats yer relationship with the perp?? Fellow tagger perhaps? "

antieverything wrote on May 13, 2008 9:59 AM:

" Rivercity ... you are truly the biggest idiot yet to grace these message boards. How does it feel to be in a class lower than rickeydeanalgore? "

ad4mj9381 wrote on May 13, 2008 9:59 AM:

" You people are amazing... i know nick, i do not agree with his actions, i dont believe what he did is right, but get yer facts straight hes not black hes not in a "gang" hes just a kid like all the other kids in this town doing this... there is no deep back story its not the thugs or the hippies or the skateboarders is just kids in general... lets not over think the meaning behind this... "

SBR wrote on May 13, 2008 9:38 AM:

" Rivercityrebel, where does it say anything about his race? I don't care WHAT race he is. It's a waste of money for all of these businesses to have to fix the damage his spray painting causes. "

SBR wrote on May 13, 2008 9:36 AM:

" Glad they caught him! It's a shame these businesses had to deal with the vandalism.

Next this guy can have fun in his new profession: making license plates! ;) Haha "

Informed Citizen wrote on May 13, 2008 9:25 AM:

" Dear Rivercityrebel please sit down and prepare to wrap your confused young liberal mind around this. You are the TRUE RACIST, by accusing all of the other posters of racism you make it quite obvious that because Mr. Dygert committed a criminal act usually associated with street gang members you assume that he is not white. When if you had checked your facts you would see that he is in fact white, and unless none of the other posters are white they are most likely criticizing his actions and not his skin color. "

whipthehorse wrote on May 13, 2008 9:21 AM:

" re: rivercityrebel...can I come over and spray paint LOSER on your house? "

Now What wrote on May 13, 2008 8:38 AM:

" I drove past 4th and Jay yesterday and saw an elderly lady washing this blue spray paint off the side of her building. What a shame. I'm sure rivercityrebel thinks she must be a racist because she doesn't like her building vandalized. I must be a racist too. "

tralee wrote on May 13, 2008 7:58 AM:

" To Rivercityrebel: If you like looking at nice buildings with spray paint all over them, then move. Those of us who live here choose to over other places where these "losers" out number the general public and have ruined the cities. And they are "thugs". And what does it have to do with racism? I don't care what color his or her skin is, I don't want this area looking like a ghetto. "

rivercityrebel wrote on May 13, 2008 7:19 AM:

" OH my GOODness spray paint

how will La Crosse ever survive with these young thugs running around

Where will we raise our children???
Oh the humanity

Hilarious that you people get all riled up about this and then go home behind close doors teaching your children to be racist idiots just like you "

ryeguy wrote on May 13, 2008 6:27 AM:

" Poetic justice: how about if we spray all of his clothing, his car, and his electronic stuff with a rival gang sign in a hot pink color and make him display that while he does the highway work? "

seriously now wrote on May 13, 2008 6:15 AM:

" Unless I am mistaken, the urban term for this clod's activity is "tagging." It's leaving your person (or gang) logo on many buildings, rail cars etc. Another example (along with home invasions, street theft, etc.) that La Crosse is sadly getting some of what most urban areas have long experienced. Was this guy a local wannabee or was he from Chicago, etc? "


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