Created: 2/29/2008 4:34:56 PM 
By Victor Blackwell First Coast News
LAKE CITY, FL -- A couple is in trouble with the law. They are accused of illegally tattooing children and teens.
According to the Columbia County Sheriff?s Office, Robert Urban, 38, confessed to tattooing 30 or more juveniles - many of them without parental consent.
"They're good people. They did good work," said customer Anthony Bailey
Bailey, 18, got his first tattoo at the Urban's Lake City home, in September.
"One day I saw him and I asked him who did his tattoos and he said he tattooed himself," said Bailey.
Since then, he's paid up to $100 each for nine additional tattoos.
According to the police report, Urban tattooed high school students and students at the local middle schools, where children are as young 11.
Police say Urban began the operation roughly two years ago inside his home in the 300 block of SE Avalon Avenue. Urban kept no written records.
"It's not really necessarily his fault, it's their parents' fault? they should've known what their kids are doing if they want a tattoo," said Bailey.
"They should be arrested, because they probably used dirty needles and you can get infections and all that stuff,? said neighbor Janice Prothro.
"He never used the same needles. He had a big thing of needles. Every time you got tattoos, he'd show you everything," said Bailey.
Sheriff's deputies collected ink, machinery and needles from the Urban home. Some of them had expired.
"I have two all together, but I planned on getting more," said Timothy Fleming, 17.
Fleming says many of his friends have tattoos from Urban.
He hopes the punishment isn't too harsh.
He says Urban was just trying to make some extra money.
"He's got time on his hands so he can go back to school and get a license and do it the right way," said Fleming.
Urban and his wife, Gwen Urban, 29, each face misdemeanor counts of tattooing without a license and tattooing a child without consent.
Robert Urban could face a considerable consequence. He was on felony probation at the time of the discovery.
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