‘Case closed.’ NC town tracks down Tyler after hilarious post about water tower ‘art’
“Tyler wuz here.”
Here: a water tower in Waxhaw, one adorned with graffiti that briefly garnered the attention of thousands earlier this week.
A “Young Mr. Tyler,” an 18-year old high school student, turned himself in after the Waxhaw Police Department took to Facebook, sharing photos of the vandalism along with what little information authorities said — tongue in cheek — they knew about the suspect.
The suspect’s name was likely Tyler, WPD wrote, and he’s not afraid of heights. He apparently loves someone with the initial “A” and should consider himself blessed for not falling off the tower, the police department wrote.
“Tyler, the truth may set you free, but only if it comes from you,” Chief Gregg Collins wrote in the post. “If we get it from someone else first, not so much. Come on down to the PD and explain your artistic influences.”
In the days following the weekend incident, the post — originating from a small town in Union County, about 40 minutes southeast of Charlotte — had been shared more than 2,000 times and had more than 3,000 reactions and 1,000 comments.
“I know who it was it was Eric Donna Fez Hyde and Jackie and Kelso,” one user commented, referencing hit TV series That 70s Show. “Those dumbasses.”
Collins chose humor, instead of sternness, to give people a reason to share the post, he said. By Wednesday it reached as far as California.
“I’ve found in 30 years of police work that people who really get in trouble get into it because they’ve made mistake after mistake after mistake. As teenagers we’ve all made mistakes,” the father of four 20-something daughters said, “but just try to make one mistake at a time.”
Climbing on top of the tower was Tyler’s first mistake, which was already dangerous considering the lack of net or cushions below. His second mistake was vandalizing property that wasn’t his, Collins said, and that cost him a court date.
WPD updated the post Tuesday, sharing Tyler “admitted to his misdeeds” and was charged by citation before police allowed him to go home.
“Thank you for all the shares getting this post out there, to help solve this,” WPD wrote. “Case closed.”
This story was originally published April 5, 2023 at 11:55 AM with the headline "‘Case closed.’ NC town tracks down Tyler after hilarious post about water tower ‘art’ ."
