BELK Graffiti Writer a.k.a. Daniel Cortez Aldama Arrested

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 6 (UPI) -- A young California man, allegedly one of the most prolific taggers in the area, faces four felony counts of illegal graffiti. Investigators say that Daniel Cortez Aldama, 18, is Belk, a name that is all too familiar around The San Jose Mercury-News reported. The name appears on highway overpasses, at the Fremont Adult School, where Aldama is a student, and, in one dramatic case, in a 120-foot long depiction of hands spelling out the letters in American Sign Language on a noise barrier on Interstate 880."The sad thing is that he actually has a lot of talent," said Officer Erik Hove of the San Jose Police Department's anti-graffiti team. "This guy could've had a career as a graphic artist."While Belk is an alias, investigators say that Aldama was not shy about claiming credit. They said that videos showing him in action and photographs of his graffiti were found at his home and that he posted photos on the site Flickr.Under questioning, Aldama allegedly told police that tagging or doing graffiti is an addiction. The price tag for the damage is put at $100,000.
Graffiti suspect held; 'Belk' tags widespread
By Sean WebbyMercury News
Article Launched: 12/06/2007 01:33:25 AM PST

Spray-painted hands spell it out in sign language from the side of a locomotive. It yells mutely - 120 feet long - from an Interstate-880 sound wall. And from San Francisco to Santa Cruz, the name pops up more often than someone running for office: BELK.
Belk, a.k.a. Daniel Cortez Aldama, 18, of Fremont, who police consider Public Vandal No. 1, was arrested this week on four felony counts of illegal graffiti.
"The sad thing is that he actually has a lot of talent," said Erik Hove of the San Jose police anti-graffiti team.
"This guy could've had a career as a graphic artist."
Aldama proudly uploaded photographs of his work on the photo-sharing network Flickr. And police said at his home they found scads of photos of his work and videos of him doing it.
Cops figure he has caused at least $100,000 in damage, including $2,000 at the Fremont Adult School, which Aldama attends.
They said Aldama told them he knew what he was doing is wrong, but being a tagger is addicting. http://www.flickr.com/photos/belkone/show to view BELK Slide Show