Wapato Inmate Shows Talent

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Story Published: Jul 21, 2009 at 11:29 PM PDT

By Stacy Lilienthal

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WAPATO -- One Wapato inmate is being creative with his time behind bars.

Tommy Cruz was homeless before being taken to the Wapato City Jail. He was arrested for probation violations and drinking offenses. But before long, the department noticed his remarkable talent for painting and had him start painting the staff bathroom. They also have two other spots in mind for his murals in the building. "Oh it's a good privileged," Tommy Cruz said, "It lets me do what I want to and keeps me in tact with my artwork and stuff like that and I enjoy doing it."

Police chief, Richard Sanchez calls Tommy Cruz a prime example of a talented person simply caught in a bad time in their life. He personally plans to push to have Cruz do more paintings for the city next.

A judge will determine Cruz's jail sentence sometime early next month.

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