Santa Monica Police continue their investigation

A Santa Monica man was arrested and charged with vandalism for destroying more than 300 city water meters, causing about $45,000 in damage, local authorities said.

On June 5, officers responded to a multi-unit apartment complex in the 2100 block of Ocean Park Boulevard after the building owner reported that the wires to his sprinkler system control box had been cut. Surveillance footage from May 31 showed a male suspect tampering with the sprinkler box around 8 p.m. The suspect was observed jumping over the gate into an alley, opening a municipal water meter box and cutting the wires inside. He then walked east in the alley south of Ocean Park Boulevard.

Officials searched the area and found that seven more municipal water meters had been destroyed. In mid-July, the City of Santa Monica’s Water Resources Manager reported that a total of 304 water meters had been similarly damaged over several weeks. Most of the damaged meters were located in an area between 14th and 25th streets and between the I-10 Freeway and Ashland Avenue. Another cluster of incidents occurred between Ocean Park Boulevard and Pico Boulevard.

On August 13, investigators executed a search warrant on a Santa Monica apartment and collected evidence linking 51-year-old Richard Martin to the series of vandalisms. Martin, who has previous convictions for assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated elder abuse and illegal possession of a firearm, was arrested and charged by prosecutors with aggravated vandalism.

Santa Monica Police are continuing their investigation and are asking anyone with information about this incident or the suspect to contact [email protected].