Concord Police Investigators ‘Have Leads’ in South End Graffiti Case

During the last 13 months, Concord’s South End neighborhood has been hit by three different racist graffiti incidents that police have not been able to solve. However, some breaks in the most recent case may lead to some resolution, according to Concord Police.

According Lt. Timothy O’Malley, the commander of the criminal investigation division, the department has some leads investigators are working on.

“I can’t give you anything more at this time,” he said. “The case is still active and we’re moving in a direction that hasn’t stalled. We do have some information that we’re following up on. But we believe we still have a little ways to go with that. We don’t know where it will take us but we’re moving on it.”

The statute of limitations on the first cases that occurred on Perley Street back in September 2011 has expired, according to O’Malley. 

Police say they will be working on trying to escalate the charge to a higher felony incident that has a longer statute of limitation, in order to give the police time to find and charge the perpetrator.

“If that is the case, then we may have time to prosecute this ... beyond a year, We believe we have the potential to go beyond that one year,” he said. “But that’s not definite on that case. We’re exploring that.”

Last year’s case, O’Malley said, was complicated and the first time the department has had to deal with a racist graffiti incident case where individuals were targeted. Having been through the first incident, police were ready for the next one, he said.

“We’re in a better place than we were last time,” he said.

O’Malley said the crimes were so similar that they suspect both incidents are connected. A number of tipsters threw “a lot of names,” at the department that didn’t pan out. But all the work put into the first case ruled out “a lot of things” and allowed the department to focus on “more realistic suspects.”

Some evidence, O’Malley said, was collected at the Thompson Street home in August that has helped with the case.

“We’re confident we’re going to get somewhere with this case,” O’Malley said. “It just may take some time.”