BILLINGS — Wicked Diesel Auto Specialist owner Ervin Mettler is no stranger to vandalism in the last few years he has owned the shop at 2511 First Ave. S.
But now he is putting his foot down and is refusing to comply with the Billings city code enforcement ordinance that requires property owners to cover vandalism within 10 days of the graffiti showing up.
“It doesn’t do me any good to spend money to paint over it and then have it done the following week and have to do it again,” Mettler said. “I told them I wasn’t going to paint over the graffiti until I spoke with somebody about the problem at hand.”
On the side of a garage on his property facing the alley, vandals sprayed the letters LA and the number 9 with a crown over it. The graffiti has been there for about eight months, according to Mettler.
Mettler said he has been dealing with code enforcement about the graffiti on his property since September. He said he has caught people spray painting on his property and isn't happy with how police have been handling the situation.
“Until we start doing something, the crimes are just going to get worse because they know that they can get away with it. They know they’re not going to get thrown in jail because it’s just a petty crime," he said.
Because Mettler isn't covering the graffiti up, he faces the potential of going to jail and said code enforcement is "threatening me with up to a $500 fine and/or up to 6 months in jail.”
Code Enforcement Division Manager Tina Hoeger said the agency receives complaints from many unhappy property owners because of the ordinance but said cleaning up graffiti is a way to prevent more.
“We really do not want to make that property owner feel like a victim again, but we do need their cooperation,” Hoeger said. “If it’s there, you need to cover it. Because if you don’t, as a community it’s going to continue to get out of control. It’s going to continue to grow and spread and that’s not what we want.”
Hoeger said code enforcement is now working more closely with the Billings police community service officers to gather and share information with hopes of prosecuting the vandals.
"Now we are working with the courts to get some community service for that person who has been sentenced to come work with code enforcement to clean up graffiti,” she said.
Mettler said community service and making the vandals clean up their graffiti would be a great idea.
“If we stop these smaller crimes, we’re going to stop the bigger crimes. It’s a known fact,” Mettler said.
Mettler also said he would be going to Billings City Council meetings to share his frustrations.
