Graffiti arrest made

The suspect arrested on charges related to Capitol graffiti was the artist who planned rogue art exhibit in Lansing

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This story was updated Sept. 12.

Wednesday, Sept. 12 — The artist who planned a rogue art exhibit that was shut down by the city a week ago was arrested today on charges that he vandalized the Capitol building and a nearby memorial.

Lansing Community College police arrested Jeffrey Scott Handley this afternoon, a LCC spokeswoman confirmed. Handley, a Lansing resident, also goes by the name Geoph Aldora Espen. He faces one felony and two misdemeanor charges for what police believe to be his involvement with the vandalism, she said.

Handley planned the rogue art exhibition at the former School for the Blind property the night before he allegedly vandalized the Capitol grounds. The graffiti included the slogan "give art a chance" on the back of a war memorial and stick figures of a male and a female on two east-facing pillars of the building.

WILX-TV reported that the felony charge is for malicious destruction of tombs and memorials, while the two misdemeanor charges are for defacing public property. WILX also reported his first court date is Sept. 20. Handley said in an interview Wednesday night that he was released on a $7,500 bond, which was posted by a relative.

Handley, 20, planned a haunted art exhibit in the Abigail building at the former School for the Blind for Sept. 5, but city officials shut the event down before it happened because the building is owned by the Lansing Housing Commission Nonprofit Development Corp. and Handley did not have permission to be there. The graffiti at the Capitol was discovered the morning after the haunted art exhibit was scheduled to take place.

Handley denied last week in an interview with City Pulse that he was involved with the graffiti at the Capitol.

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