Update: Wanted billboard defaced
by TP staff
Jun 24, 2011 | 8130 views | 10 10 comments | 23 23 recommendations | email to a friend | print
A bill board showing suspects in a murder case was defaced sometime Thursday night.  The faces and names of Manny Mendoza and James Stancampiano were covered over with paint.  Glenn Moore/Tracy Press
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A billboard seeking leads in the homicide case of Kevin Prater II was defaced sometime between the afternoon of Thursday, June 23, and the morning of Friday, June 24, but was repaired in time for the weekend and Monday morning commute.

The faces and names of Emmanuel “Manny D” Mendoza and James “Flacco” Stancampiano — both sought in connection with the shooting death of Prater on Sept. 15, 2010 — were obscured with black spray-paint, an obvious effort to conceal their identities from drivers on westbound 11th Street east of Tracy and southwest of Grant Line Road, where the billboard is located.

As of Friday, there were no immediate leads as to who might have vandalized the larger-than-life wanted poster.

Edgar Jose Canseco is already in custody for the crime, and faces charges of first-degree murder. His trial is set to begin Sept. 26 in Stockton.

Robin Prater, the mother of Kevin Prater II, did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment Friday.

Late last month, however, she told the Press that having the suspects’ faces and names where the public can see them could help bring justice to the case.

“I know it’s not going to bring him back,” she said. “(But) if their faces are not out there, people will forget about it. It keeps the public alert and aware.”

Tracy police, when contacted early Friday afternoon, said they weren’t aware of the graffiti. A gang unit officer said homicide detectives would be informed about the vandalism.

The graffiti was soon removed, and the billboard was free of vandalism at last check Monday morning.
Comments
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LuckyInTracyNot
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June 25, 2011
@ Cody01 Look, in this modern world the law is the law. Our fathers from before had it right though, they never had problems with over crowded jails or over worked DA's and budget crises. I think the USofA should adapt a "Law of Urgency" for example, just give them the hearing and take them out back and shoot the guily punks. There are all sorts of laws that are broken today and back then they would have been delt with. I am not for a madman lynch mob ideal but give them law breakers an incentive to not break the law anymore. As it is now they go away for a vacation. That is IF they are convicted and not found innocent because they ate lead paint chips when they were a child.

They (scumbags) do not care about us and we end up treating them better than the queen of england in court.
imjustanobody
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June 25, 2011
the billboard was fine @ 3:45PM friday afternoon...

cody01
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June 25, 2011
Eye for an Eye? We would all be blind. Kill'em all? OK, That is civilized. NOT! Catch them and prosecute. Just an idea.
LuckyInTracyNot
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June 24, 2011
Gangs are not intellegent but maybe a few are street savey enough to lay low for now, this prooves they are still waiting to cause more trashy trouble.

I agree with AverageBri's post below.
LuckyInTracyNot
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June 24, 2011
I saw this billboard thursday late afternoon as I came in from Modesto on 120 to I-5south to 11th Street into Tracy. That was around 6 or 7PM. It looked fine to me at that time.

I think it is an improvement on their looks but, I hope they catch the people who did this because they are probebly hooked-up with these loosers in some manner.

This just validates there are more of these freak loosers out there just like them.
Mugwump5150@yahoo.com
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June 24, 2011
What a bunch of dumb $#@*^$%# !! The last article mentioned that police believed those two to have slipped across the border into mexico. Well if they had their little friends climb up there to obscure their picture, guess what, the cowardly little twerps are still illegaly hiding like the spineless punks that they are.
AverageBri
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June 24, 2011
They say "a picture is worth a thousand words," and that picture says everything you need to know about who controls Tracy, the gangs or the cops?

No respect and no fear. Nothing left to do but kill em all, and let God sort em out.
dubvee
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June 24, 2011
Whoever did it, like the two that shot that kid, need to be dropped in Pakistan or some other hot spot with the charge, survive for 20 months, and you're a free man.

One little catch...no food, no weapons.
TracyCitizen
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June 24, 2011
What low life would vandalize a poster wanting 2 criminals?

The poor family of Prater continues to be victimized.

May justice come swift and hard.
Wobbley
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June 24, 2011
The tagging on Manny's neck sure looks like MS13 backward. The thirteen on the upper right.


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