SALT LAKE CITY — Three people are facing charges for vandalizing the Utah State Capitol during the May 30 protest, police say.
Sedelia Elena Rubio, 18, from Taylorsville, Steven Daniel Ramirez, 19, from Salt Lake City, and Betsy Saomamao Jones, 21, from Salt Lake City, were charged in 3rd District Court Friday with criminal mischief, a second-degree felony.
According to charging documents, Rubio, Jones and Ramirez used spray paint to damage a wall of the Capitol. Police say photographs showed the trio painting letters and words on the wall, then posing in front of it with three other unidentified people May 30. That day violent protests erupted in Salt Lake City over racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Investigators figured out Rubio’s identity when she handed her keys to an unidentified female, who then went to a car parked nearby that is registered in Rubio’s name, according to the charges. Police say they then identified Jones and Ramirez by comparing driver’s license photos to photos and video taken at the protest.
Warrants were issued for Rubio, Jones and Ramirez, and their bail is set at $10,000 each.