Popular 'Last Podcast on the Left' comes at Arizona with episode about 'Penis Man' graffiti, missing Idaho kids

When most people hear about the nationally recognized case about two Idaho kids missing since September, the last thing they'd expect to follow are details about the arrest of a man accused of "Penis Man" graffiti at various locations across the Valley.

A popular podcast, however, put the two topics together in a recent episode in which they also poked fun at some Arizona police and the state's scorching heat.

"The Last Podcast on the Left" falls under the comedy genre and focuses on a variety of horror topics, including "cults, killers and cryptic encounters," according to its website. Its hosts are Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks and Henry Zebrowski.

Podcast pokes fun at Arizona

In its Jan. 29 episode titled "Side Stories: Penis Man," Kissel and Zebrowski discussed the Jan. 23 arrest of Dustin J. Shomer, 38, who was accused of spray-painting the words "Penis Man" throughout several locations in Tempe and Phoenix, according to court documents.

"Let's move on to a story of crime, but more innocent crime," said one of the hosts when introducing Shomer's arrest.

"This dude was in Arizona and what do you do in Arizona? You're bored as hell, there's nothing really to do — "

"Meth!" another host shouts.

"It's tan and taupe 24/7. The sun is beating through your brain," he says. "Your brain in Arizona just gets shrunk like a raisin."

The podcast's hosts were critical of how police handled Shomer's arrest, citing a Facebook post in which Shomer claimed police pointed a gun at him. Shomer also claimed on Jan. 25 that he "spent the last 24 hours in Tempe and Phoenix police custody for spraying 'Penis Man,'" adding that SWAT officers raided his condo and vehicle in west Phoenix.

"Because there is nothing else, there are no other crimes in Arizona, absolutely none, the police bump this case up to top priority," one host says. "They treated him like he was a terrorist."

"I guess they wanted to make an example of him for some reason even though it's just (expletive) graffiti, he's not Banksy," the other host said.

A Tempe police spokesperson did not respond to The Arizona Republic's multiple requests for comment about Shomer's claims.

More details about graffiti arrest

Shomer was arrested at his home near Camelback Road and 67th Avenue in Phoenix and taken to the Tempe Police Department, where he admitted to spray-painting "Penis Man" at various locations and then identified images of graffiti as his handiwork, court documents said.

Between Jan. 19 and Jan. 21, Shomer was suspected of spray-painting the words on local restaurants in Tempe, Tempe City Hall, A-Mountain, fenced public water towers and 15 locations on Arizona State University's Tempe and Phoenix campuses, court documents said.

He was booked on suspicion of 16 counts of aggravated criminal damage, eight counts of criminal damage and one count of criminal trespassing in the first degree.

In that same Jan. 29 episode, the podcast hosts referenced a Phoenix New Times article in which Shomer claimed he was not the original "Penis Man" graffiti artist but rather a "copycat."

Tempe police spokesperson Greg Bacon told The Republic on Tuesday the department was not seeking additional suspects in connection with the "Penis Man" graffiti. He said there were "other reports of additional related graffiti," however, a suspect was not known as of Tuesday.

Shomer did not immediately respond to The Republic's request for comment.

Podcast tackles missing-kids case, which has connections in Arizona

The podcast hosts also spent a small part of the episode providing an update to its listeners about the case of two missing Idaho kids with connections in Arizona.

The case spanning multiple states has sparked nationwide interest and a manhunt as Joshua "JJ" Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 17, haven't been seen since late September in Rexburg, Idaho.

The podcast hosts highlight that Lori Vallow, the children's mother, was recently found in Hawaii with her new husband, Chad Daybell. The couple is not cooperating with authorities as they investigate the children's disappearance.

"The mom has been found and evidently she's having a great time on the beach," one of the hosts said.

In reference to the couple, the other host later said, "It's a love we don't truly understand, it's a love that we've never known."

In Hawaii, Lori Vallow was served a legal document ordering her "to physically produce" the children, however, she did not do so by the court-ordered deadline, according to the children's grandmother, Kay Woodcock. Woodcock and her husband, Larry Woodcock, have offered a $20,000 reward for information about the children's whereabouts.

The missing children lived in Arizona at one point and are tied to local police investigations into the deaths of Charles Vallow and Alex Cox.

Charles Vallow is Lori Vallow's former husband and adoptive father of Joshua. He was shot and killed last July in Chandler by Lori Vallow's brother, Alex Cox.

Cox, who claimed self-defense, also died last December in Gilbert of unknown causes. An autopsy for Cox is pending.

Charles is Lori Vallow's second husband to die in the past two years. Joseph Ryan died in April 2018 of "arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease," according to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office. Ryan was Tylee's father.

Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell married weeks after the death of Chad's wife, Tammy Daybell, last October in Fremont County, Idaho. Authorities initially believed she died of natural causes but have since determined it may be suspicious, and an autopsy is pending.

One of the children's relatives, Brandon Boudreaux, was also shot at last October in Gilbert while driving home from the gym. The bullet missed his head. The Jeep that his would-be killer was driving was registered to Charles Vallow.

In its episode, "The Last Podcast on the Left" hosts also referenced Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell's involvement with an organization called "Preparing A People," which has since said it's "not a 'group' and is not a 'Cult' or something people join" in a posted statement on its website.

Friends and family members have spoken out in the media with their concerns over Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell's religious beliefs and focus on the end of the world.

Chad Daybell's website indicates he has written and self-published more than 25 books, some of which focus on near-death experiences, including Daybell's own. Other books fictionalize the end of the world. Some books, his website indicates, have found success in LDS bookstores.

Lori Vallow claimed she believed she was a god, Charles said in court documents.

During its segment about the missing children, the podcast hosts expressed their own opinions about what they believed happened to the children and their deceased relatives.

"The Last Podcast on the Left" has a live show scheduled in Phoenix on April 29.

Reach the reporter at chelsea.curtis@arizonarepublic.com or follow her on Twitter @curtis_chels.

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