Jury seated in Sioux City manhole painting trial

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – A jury was seated, and testimony began in the trial of a Sioux City man charged with criminal mischief for spray-painting manholes throughout the Morningside neighborhood last summer.

The 12-person jury was seated on Wednesday, May 6, and the trial got underway after lunch with opening statements and the first witness testimony.

One of the first witnesses to testify was a police officer who arrested Bradshaw early on the morning of Nov. 4. Body camera video showed his approach to the scene and interaction with Bradshaw.

The defense attorney took issue with an edited version of the video shown by prosecutors, saying it left out commentary by the officer favorable to Bradshaw.

The sound was removed during the body camera video throughout the duration of Bradshaw taking a breathalyzer test. An officer can be heard saying Bradshaw blew a 0.56. The legal limit in Iowa is 0.8.

The court recessed for the day with testimony to resume Thursday morning. The court expects this to be a two-day trial.

Potential penalties

Bradshaw faces two charges in this case, criminal mischief and consumption of alcohol in a public place.

If found guilty of the criminal mischief charge, Bradshaw could face up to a year in jail, fines up to $2,560, plus restitution. For the public consumption charge, if found guilty, Bradshaw would face fines up to $855 or 30 days in jail.

Brandon Bradshaw’s arrest

Police say Bradshaw was arrested in Sioux City back on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.

Bradshaw was reportedly in the middle of a street when officers arrived, and the Sioux City Police Department said he was found around a manhole cover after spray-painting flower designs in various colors.

“When police made contact with [Bradshaw], he had in his possession an open alcoholic beverage that he was consuming in public and a black backpack containing different cans of spray paint,” stated Judge Melinda Wicks in court documents, who is overseeing the case and ruled against dismissing the trial and its charges.

Bradshaw’s arrest came after Sioux City Police said they had fielded several complaints about flower graffiti in the Morningside area for about a month.

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