Graffiti artist arrested for spray-painting Beavis heads all over Detroit

DETROIT (FOX 2) - You may have spotted some Beavis graffiti, from "Beavis and Butt-Head," while driving around Detroit and nearby cities.

And while the sitcom is sentimental to many, "it did backfire," said Detroit Police Capt. Marcus Thirlkill.

The graffiti artist allegedly responsible for spray-painting thousands of Beavis heads all over the City of Detroit and beyond, Bryan Herrin, is now facing felony charges. 

He calls himself BVIS – leaving his mark on buildings, construction materials, fences, and even inside a supermarket. 

Herrin outed himself in the Metro Times in April, where he boasted that he’ll do up to 20 Beavis heads a night. He described it as a compulsion, as it was his favorite cartoon growing up.

While many of them have been covered up, you can still spot some of the graffiti heads around 8 Mile and I-75.

"It was multiple situations where we had to have people from the city go out and clean this area up," Thirlkill said. "There's a cost associated with having to go out and clean up each time this character is painted on structures."

A search warrant was served at Herrin's Highland Park home last week. He was arrested and is now facing six counts of malicious destruction of property – each count punishable by up to four years in prison if he is convicted. 

"The city has dedicated areas where they have murals, maybe you can participate in one of those," Thirkill said.

Although the offense appears minor, Detroit police say blight and graffiti are some of the most common complaints they receive from residents.

"Quality of life things are things that we take serious," Thirlkill said. "Although most of us love cartoons as kids, we can't go around painting our favorite cartoon characters in multiple locations all over the region."

Herrin was given a $50,000 personal bond, which he posted.

FOX 2 Detroit reached out to Herrin for comment but did not receive a response before the story aired.