Shepard Fairey/Facebook photo
It made national news last year when famed street artist Shepard Fairey was charged in Detroit with putting unauthorized work on buildings in Detroit. Mayor Mike Duggan has long been an outspoken opponent of graffiti.
But on Wednesday the Detroit Free Press reported that Wayne County Circuit Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway the felony case as a result of a motion filed by Fairey's attorney. It was unclear why the judge took that action.
City Attorney Doug Baker, a former assistant Wayne County prosecutor, said the case against Fairey was important, according to Jim Schaefer of the Freep, and he planned to appeal.
"The City has successfully prosecuted approximately 30 graffiti cases in the past two and a half years as part of an overall effort to clean up blight," Baker said in a statement, according to the Freep. "Mr. Fairey is not entitled to special treatment over ordinary citizens just because he is famous. We will file a timely appeal."
