A Gulfport man was arrested on a criminal mischief charge for painting his name and initial on two police cars, according to an arrest affidavit.
"I was just being mischievous," Russell 'Rusty' Moore said.
The incident happened last month, when Gulfport police responded to a call in Moore's neighborhood and parked in front of his home. Moore, 44, said that move upset him and he admitted to the graffiti.
"I was a little inebriated and full of stuff and vinegar and happened to be painting on a certain day when they pulled in front of my house to go to somebody else's house," he said. "So, I walked out there, sat on the curb and painted my name on there."
Moore painted his nickname 'Rusty' on one cruiser door and the initial 'R' on another cruiser in blue. Police said when they went to confront Moore about the graffiti, he refused to come out of his home, flipped off the officers through a window and thew a blue paint can outside. Police said they could see blue paint on Moore's right hand.
"I stood in my door, I didn't want to come out 'cause I knew what would happen," Moore said. "I threw an empty paint can out here, blue, the same color that I painted my name."
Police returned to Moore's home last week and arrested him for criminal mischief. Sgt. Thomas Woodman said Moore's paint job did not do any lasting damage to the cruisers because they quickly had it removed.
"It was still wet at the time they found it. They immediately took it over to the paint and body shop and had it removed," Woodman said. "The cost of doing so was approximately $140."
Moore posted a $150 bond was released from the Pinellas Jail last Thursday. The Gulfport man said he knows he made this case easy to solve for police.
"Just to be a smart a**," he said.