Property owners forgive Alba for poster stunt

updated 7:22 p.m. ET June 11, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY - The owners of property plastered with great white shark posters said Thursday they have little interest in pursuing criminal vandalism charges against actress Jessica Alba, who already has apologized for her role in the stunt.

Oklahoma City police are continuing to investigate the allegations, but haven’t interviewed the 28-year-old co-star of the “Fantastic Four” movies, “Sin City” and “Good Luck Chuck.” Investigators first plan to meet with the property owners to see if they are willing to prosecute, said police Sgt. Gary Knight.

“That’s typical for how we handle all investigations of this nature,” Knight said. “You want to make sure you have a victim that’s willing to prosecute.

“Typically in cases like this if people don’t want to prosecute, often times the case is closed.”

Police found the posters — aimed at raising awareness about the sharks’ declining numbers — glued to a downtown bridge, utility boxes and a billboard for the United Way charity.

Earlier this week, photographs surfaced on a Web site that apparently show Alba hanging some of the posters and posing before the defaced billboard. Alba is in Oklahoma filming “The Killer Inside Me,” which co-stars Casey Affleck and Kate Hudson.

All the property owners contacted by The Associated Press Thursday say they don’t want to see Alba prosecuted.

“It’s not our intent to pursue any type of charges,” said Brian Alford, a spokesman for electric utility Oklahoma Gas & Electric. “I think if we have a cost associated with the removal we would hope to be compensated for that cost, but at this point it’s a lesson learned and we just want to put it behind us.”

Telephone and e-mail messages left Thursday seeking comment from Alba’s publicist about whether she plans to reimburse the property owners or United Way were not returned.

An official with Oklahoma City’s Parks and Recreation Department filed the initial police report, but a city spokeswoman said Thursday they aren’t interested in pursuing criminal charges.

“The apology that she made through her publicist, I think, was enough for us,” said spokeswoman Kristy Yager.

The United Way advertisement, which was donated to the charity by a billboard company, has since been removed.

“Even if we had been paying for the ad, I doubt we would have filed a complaint with the police department,” said Erin Brewer, a spokeswoman for United Way of Central Oklahoma. “I think it would be very generous of her, and certainly we would be honored if she chose to make a contribution.”

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Lamar Advertising, which owns the billboard, also said the company doesn’t plan to pursue charges, said Bill Condon, general manager and vice president of the company’s Oklahoma City office.

“I think her comment and what she released seemed pretty sincere,” Condon said.

Under Oklahoma law, maliciously defacing property can be a felony punishable by prison time if the value of the damage exceeds $1,000 or more. City officials placed a preliminary value of the damage at between $500 and $700, and Condon said the damage to the billboard would not exceed $500.

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