Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign gets Vandalized AGAIN!
Friday, December 18, 2009 at 11:15AM
LasVegasLynn in Current Day, Historical, Las Vegas Strip, Neon, Preservation Issues, Roadside Architecture

 

From Fox5:

The iconic Las Vegas sign has been vandalized for the second time this year.At about 7:30 Friday morning, a barefoot man wearing a barrel and a Santa's hat threw red paint on the front of the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign and black paint on the back of it, as FOX5 News was broadcasting live.

The man, Joe Pepitone, told FOX5 News he threw the paint at the sign as a form of protest. He was also one of the protesters in front of the Clark County courtroom during the O.J. Simpson heist trial.

At the time, FOX5 was reporting at the world famous sign on the southern end of the Strip about a program Metro police have implemented to try to get graffiti artists to redirect their tagging to actual art canvasses to be sold to fund the program.

Pepitone, who was half-naked, said he had lost his job and gambling winnings.Police said Pepitone could face jail time if cleaning up the damage costs more than $250. Otherwise, he could face a fine, police said.Pepitone tripped and cried after defacing the sign, and he complained of ear ringing, so an ambulance transported him to a local hospital for treatment.

Needless to say Joe Pepitone, Reality called, your 15 seconds of fame are up.

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