BEDFORD — A Bedford man is facing a criminal mischief charge following an alleged act of vandalism that occurred in late September, marking the latest incident in a series of similar reports filed by the same victim.
Dalton Valencia, 32, has been named as the suspect in an affidavit for probable cause filed by the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department for an incident on September 21, 2025. Valencia is alleged to have committed criminal mischief, a Class B misdemeanor.
According to the affidavit, on September 21, Deputy D. Miller responded to a report of vandalism in the 3000 block of Old State Road 37.
Deputy Miller noted in the affidavit that the residence has been the target of multiple prior vandalism reports since August 21, 2025, all filed by the victim, naming Dalton Valencia as the suspect.
Upon arriving at the scene, Deputy Miller observed that the mailbox had been spray-painted, while the other mailboxes in the row were untouched.
The victim told police he had received an alert from his home security camera system. When he checked the live feed, he allegedly observed a male in a silver SUV spray-painting his mailbox. The victim reported seeing the vehicle drive south, then turn around and head north toward the Judah intersection.
The couple provided the camera footage, recorded at 8:39 a.m., to law enforcement. The video reportedly shows a silver SUV stopping at the mailbox, and a male, believed to be Dalton Valencia and wearing sunglasses, leaning out of the driver’s side window to spray-paint the mailbox.
Lawrence County Dispatch confirmed an active registration for a 2019 silver Buick Encore listing Dalton Valencia as a registered owner. Dispatch then used the Flock camera system, which captured a silver Buick believed to be the same vehicle traveling south through the Judah intersection at 8:43 a.m. and then again from the Avoca intersection at State Road 37 and State Road 54 at 8:48 a.m.
Based on the evidence from the scene and the camera footage, Deputy Miller stated there is probable cause to believe Valencia committed the offense and requested a warrant for Valencia’s arrest. He was detained on Monday, October 6.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the Probable Cause Affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
